President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has met with the members of the Kandoodhoo Island Council and the Women's Development Committee (WDC), and discussed the ongoing development projects in the island. The meeting was held as part of the president’s visit to seven islands in Thaa Atoll.
At the meeting, the council members stated the current government's developmental projects on the island over the past three years were on par with all the projects conducted in the past fifteen years. They expressed their sincere gratitude to the president and the government, highlighting that there were nine Public Service Investment Programme (PSIP) projects currently underway and in different stages of enactment.
During the meeting, members of Kandoodhoo Council shared concerns about the most pertinent issues and urgent needs faced by the residents of the island, including soil erosion, concerns regarding the harbour, access to quality healthcare, provision of electricity, lack of sports infrastructure, issues in waste management and other concerns related to development projects.
The president shared the latest updates on ongoing and planned development projects on the island. While sharing the progress of the water and sewerage project, President Solih noted that the installation of the sewer pipeline was in progress and that 90% of the administrative building was constructed. The president further noted the EIA for the harbour project had been in progress, while the Health Centre upgrading project had already been awarded to a contractor. To resolve soil erosion issues, the president said that the relevant ministry would do the assessment and find a suitable solution.
At the meeting, WDC members expressed gratitude for the incumbent government's efforts in empowering women by facilitating more opportunities for women and granting legal empowerment. During the meeting, President Solih mentioned that the government would restructure the remuneration package for WDC members.
Following the meeting, President Solih met with senior management and staff of Kandoodhoo School, inquiring about the most pressing issues and their concerns. They highlighted the need for resource and infrastructure improvement; however, they also stressed that with the completion of an ongoing project to construct three classrooms, they would be able to proceed to single-session schooling.
The president highlighted that the education sector and building an accomplished generation is one of his government's key priorities. He added that the government is working on revising the remuneration structure for the education sector and providing salary increments from next year's budget. He also said he would address the issues and concerns raised by the teachers and management of Kandoodhoo School.
During his visit to Kandoodhoo, President Solih also met with farmers from the island, who shared their concerns regarding their needs and difficulties in farming, producing and selling agricultural products. The discussion was held in the afternoon of August 19 at the Kandoodhoo Harbour area.
Speaking at the meeting, President Solih assured the farmers that there are various opportunities for farming and high demand for local produce in the Maldives. He urged the farmers to take part in the activities conducted by Agro National Corporation (AgroNat), a state-owned enterprise with the overall mandate to assist in developing the agricultural sector. He detailed the opportunities and eases made available to farmers through the AgroNat Corporation.
The Kandoodhoo farmers divulged several details of the most pertinent issues faced by them. They said that regardless of the government reducing duty charges from chemicals imported for farming, it didn't provide any benefits to the farmers but rather benefitted the businesses importing such chemicals. Further, they noted that the AgroNat scheme does not include chilli pepper farming, one of their main products, and requested to look into fair pricing strategies for locally-grown fruits and vegetables.
Additionally, the farmers raised concerns regarding the availability of farming equipment and resources, as well as the technical expertise required for the advancement of the sector. Farmers also revealed that there were some undocumented foreigners working in Kandoodhoo farms and asked President Solih to accommodate a way to regularise them as documented foreign workers.
President Solih answered the concerns raised by the farmers regarding their needs, stating that the government was considering a policy to levy a tax from companies importing goods already produced and available locally. He also said that he would look into the matter of providing technical expertise and regularising the mentioned undocumented foreign workers, and that all other concerns raised by the farmers would be raised with the relevant government agencies to find swift and efficient solutions.
The President’s visit to Kandoodhoo Island was the sixth destination in his trip to seven islands of Thaa Atoll. Cabinet ministers accompanied the president, as well as senior officials from the President’s Office and a delegation of high-level government officials.