President Mohamed Muizzu has conveyed International Women’s Day greetings to all Maldivian women. He delivered the message while addressing a ceremony organised by the People’s National Congress to launch the Greater Addu Vision on Saturday evening.
The President stated that the Administration has made significant contributions to women’s development, noting that these efforts had been demonstrated through concrete actions. He highlighted that Women’s Development Committees have been empowered through legal reforms introduced by the Government.
Committee members, he said, are now receiving Ramadan allowances, and policies have been implemented to ensure that the chairperson of each committee serves as an elected, full-time executive.
He also noted that the Administration has doubled the budget allocation for the committees from five per cent to ten per cent. The Ramadan allowance, he added, is provided from the councils’ overall budgets and not from the allocations designated for the committees.
In his remarks, the President said the Administration’s policy decisions have contributed to the development and strengthening of Women’s Development Committees. He referred to loan schemes and economic empowerment programmes announced in this year’s Presidential Address, stating that advancing women’s development and mainstreaming women’s empowerment remained key priorities of the Government.
During the ceremony, the President also outlined the Administration’s vision for the development of Addu City, detailing several planned projects for the city. He assured that the Government has the capacity to address major economic challenges, including the Sukuk payment due on the 8th of next month. The President said both domestic and external debt repayments would be met while the Government continues to implement measures to strengthen the national economy.
One such measure, he said, was an agreement formalised on Saturday to address the energy needs of Addu City. The agreement will facilitate the development of a facility capable of adding 26 megawatts of electricity to the city’s power grid. The President added that the project is expected to be completed by July next year and will meet the city’s energy requirements for the next 20 years.
He noted that Addu City’s energy challenges have remained unresolved under previous administrations. The President also highlighted that 48 development initiatives are planned for the islands of the city, with a further 18 projects to be implemented under new policy initiatives. In addition, he said the Government is procuring the necessary equipment, machinery, and labour to construct all roads in the city, in line with its pledge.