The construction of council secretariats on 55 islands has been handed over to Malaysia’s Hextar Global Sdn. Bhd.
Addressing the space and resource constraints faced by councils is a presidential pledge made by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu. Last February, while addressing residents of Makunudhoo, Haa Dhaalu Atoll, the President announced that the construction of 50 island councils would be implemented simultaneously in alignment with the pledge.
The construction contract was signed on a contractor-finance basis by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Cities, Local Government and Public Works, Dr Fathmath Muna, and Ali Shareef, Managing Director of Hextar Maldives, representing its parent company. The signing ceremony was attended by the Minister of the Ministry of Cities and Local Government and Public Works Adam Shareef Umar and other government officials.
When the Local Government Ministry opened the opportunity for local councils to apply for council reconstruction, the Ministry deemed 102 councils of the applicants as eligible following assessments. Of these, the construction of 55 councils was awarded to Nextar to be completed within 2 years and six months. These new buildings will be designed to provide spacious and accessibility for councilors and administrative staff to carry out their work.
The Ministry’s assessments found that 187 councils face significant space constraints and resource shortages. In addition to the 55 councils being constructed by Nextar company, the government plans to rebuild an additional 50 council secretariats with assistance from the Chinese government. The government aims to rebuild all deteriorated council buildings within its current term.