President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Maldives is heading in the right direction.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Viavathi Raajje conference, President Solih noted the Maldives is one of the countries that are most impacted by the various global crises and the world had to face the negative impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict just as it was economically recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. He further noted the Maldives is also most impacted by climate change, despite it not being a top carbon polluter.
Furthermore, President Solih said the administration will make changes to its development plans to counter the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, such as the increase in prices of goods, but that the country’s economy is on the right trajectory, despite the challenges it has faced in the past two years.
Additionally, President Solih praised the success of the Viavathi Raajje conference for acting as a platform to address and provide solutions to the challenges faced by local councils. He expressed confidence that local councils will be able to formulate and submit their land-use plans after the conference. He highlighted the importance of the land-use plan for initiating development in accordance with the wishes of the island residents and said that assistance has been provided to local councils to formulate their plans. He also urged local councils to assist in the work of the national security services to stop gang and drug-related criminal activities.