President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has established the types of economic activities permitted and minimum investment threshold for Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in the Maldives under Act No. 24/2014 (Special Economic Zones Act).
This was announced on Sunday via a Presidential Decree No. 1/2025 issued today.
The economic activities permitted in SEZs have been categorised into two types: investments of not less than 100 million US dollars, and sustainable township development projects requiring investments of not less than 500 million US dollars.
Among strategic investments, nine types of investments have been included under the minimum investment requirement of 100 million US dollars. They are:
a) Export-oriented manufacturing activities
b) Transhipment ports, international logistics, ports, airports, bulk breaking, bunkering and docking services
c) Universities, tertiary hospitals, specialty hospitals and world-class research and development facilities
d) World-class Information Communication Technology (ICT) parks and related facilities
e) International financial services and international trade centres
f) Renewable energy sector
g) Activities introducing new technologies currently unavailable in the Maldives
h) Food security sector
i) Gas exploration activities
For sustainable township development projects requiring minimum investments of 500 million US dollars, the decree further stipulates that this minimum investment must be allocated specifically to sustainable township development components.