Maldives News Bulletin - Volume 201

State-owned fisheries firm Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Limited (MIFCO) has said payments to local fishermen are being processed within 48 hours, as President Dr Mohamed Muizzu pledged.

When this Administration took office in November last year, arrears to local fishermen amounted to around USD15 million.

Despite some initial setbacks, this Administration has gradually settled the arrears. On this year’s Fishermen’s Day, celebrated on December 10th, President Dr Muizzu announced that his Administration had made arrangements to settle payments to fishermen within 48 hours.

True to the President’s pledge, MIFCO told PSM News that it is now depositing payments to fishermen within 48 hours, adding that sometimes payments are settled even on the same day.

MIFCO highlighted the assistance and cooperation of the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources and the Bank of Maldives (BML) in the efforts.

Since President Dr Muizzu assumed office, USD63.15 million has been disbursed to fishermen, amounting to a record 55,299 metric tonnes of fish.

SOURCE : PSM

Central Bank, Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) figures show that the country’s tourism and construction sectors registered growth in quarter three of the year.

MMA’s Economic Bulletin for quarter three of this year showed that both the construction and real estate sectors observed growths in annual terms during the quarter, posting growths of 1.6 per cent and 7.1 per cent, respectively.

However, during the review quarter, importing construction-related items declined four per cent annually, while commercial bank credit to the construction sector increased by 15 per cent annually.

The growth in commercial bank credit was mainly owing to the rise in credit provided for property development projects; credit lent for resort renovation, construction of residential or housing projects, real estate of residential or housing projects, and construction of commercial buildings.

According to MMA, total tourist arrivals increased in both annual and quarterly terms, with an increase in the quarter relative to the corresponding period of 2023. This increase was driven mainly by the rise in arrivals from China and the top source markets of Europe.

Accordingly, tourist arrivals totalled 476,498 in Q3 of 2024, registering a 10 per cent growth compared to the corresponding quarter 2023.

According to the report, one of the industries that will post a decline is the fisheries sector.

MMA said the activity in the fisheries sector is estimated to have contracted by 44.9 percent in annual terms during Q3-2024, following a 50 percent yearly decline in the sector’s GVA in Q2-2024.

MMA said that for high-frequency indicators, considerable declines were observed in fish purchases made by processing companies and the volume of fish exports during the review quarter.

MMA compiles the quarterly economic bulletin to cover developments in the domestic and international economies during each quarter. The analyses are based on information from relevant Government authorities, commercial banks operating in the country, public enterprises, and other private sector sources.

Source: PSM

Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has announced a significant humanitarian effort funded by the Maldives’ Zakat House to provide essential drinking water to the injured and those forced by Israel to endure severe humanitarian crises in Gaza, Palestine.

This initiative comes amidst the ongoing Israeli offensive, which has inflicted severe hardships, created inhumane living conditions, and led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents. Launched on 7 October 2023 by Israeli occupational forces, the offensive has displaced the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants, further exacerbating the already dire situation.

Dr Shaheem stated that the drinking water, funded by the Maldives’ Zakat Fund, is being distributed with the assistance of the Qatari Red Crescent. In a social media post, the Qatar Red Crescent confirmed that its personnel have already distributed 6,000 cases of drinking water bottles to injured residents and patients at Al-Shifa and Al-Hayat Hospitals. According to the Qatari Red Crescent, 50,000 cases of drinking water bottles, funded by the Zakat House of Maldives, will be provided to over 60,000 individuals in Gaza.

On 27 November, the Zakat House announced a commitment of USD 100,000 to assist Gaza residents who are enduring severe and appalling hardships due to the ongoing Israeli offensive. This initiative represents the first time the Zakat fund resources are utilised to provide international humanitarian assistance.

The Maldives Government has actively supported the Palestinian residents, particularly those blockaded in Gaza, by organising fundraising events such as telethons. The Government has also initiated measures to prohibit the entry of individuals holding Israeli passports into the Maldives as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Since the launch of Israel’s genocidal offensive on 7 October 2023, over 45,338 Palestinians have been killed, and more than 107,764 have been wounded, with most of the casualties being innocent women and children. Israel’s offensive is being conducted in contravention of international and humanitarian laws. 

SOURCE : PSM

The Maldives has reached a landmark achievement in its 52-year tourism history, recording the highest number of tourist arrivals in a year. As of 23 December, the Ministry of Tourism announced that the country welcomed an impressive 1.97 million visitors this year.

This number exceeds the previous record set in 2023, positioning the nation close to its goal of attracting over two million tourists this year. To meet this target, the Maldives must welcome 22,748 visitors.

Over the past 12 years, the Maldives has experienced steady growth in tourist arrivals. 2013, the country received 1.12 million tourists, marking a 17.5 per cent increase compared to 2012. This trend continued with 1.20 million visitors in 2014, a 7.1 per cent increase over the previous year. The upward trajectory persisted, with 1.23 million tourists in 2015, representing a 2.4 per cent increment compared to 2014.

In 2016, the Maldives experienced a 4.2 per cent increase in tourist arrivals, attracting over 1.28 million visitors. The following year, tourist arrivals rose to 1.38 million, an 8 per cent increment compared to 2016. In 2018, the Maldives welcomed 1.48 million visitors, a 6.8 per cent increase from the previous year.

The year 2019 saw a significant boost, with 1.7 million tourists, marking a 14.7 per cent increase compared to 2018: however, in 2020, tourist arrivals dropped to 555,494 due to travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, representing a 67.4 per cent decrease compared to 2019. In 2021, the Maldives experienced a strong recovery with 1.32 million visitors, a remarkable 138% increase compared to 2020.

The positive trend continued in 2022 with 1.67 million tourists, a 26.7 per cent increase over the previous year. In 2023, the Maldives welcomed 1.87 million visitors, a 12.1 per cent increment compared to 2022. As of 23 December 2024, the country has welcomed 1.97 million visitors, a 9 per cent increase over the total

arrivals in 2023.

The tourism ministry anticipates achieving the target of welcoming over two million tourists by Thursday. This surge in tourist numbers aligns with the Administration’s strategic efforts to promote and diversify the tourism sector. As part of these initiatives, the national carrier, Maldivian, is scheduled to commence international flights using wide-body aircraft in January.

The inaugural flights will be to Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu in China, with plans to expand operations to various European countries. The Government expects that deploying wide-body aircraft will significantly enhance tourist arrivals by targeting major tourism markets worldwide.

SOURCE : PSM

The National Disaster Management Council, chaired by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and convened today at the President’s Office, has endorsed the Maldives Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy 2024-2030.

The objectives of the Maldives Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy 2024-2030 are to protect the natural and built environment of the Maldives and the homes and assets of its citizens against climate hazards and other disasters and to achieve disaster preparedness, resilient communities and sustainable development goals. Implementing this strategy is expected to facilitate mitigation efforts and enhance opportunities towards human resource development. The National Disaster Management Council formulated this strategy to strengthen the Maldives’ steadfast global advocacy regarding risks posed to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) due to climate change.

This effort aligns with Goal 5 of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, where signatories are required to increase the number of national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2030. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Sendai Framework) was endorsed by the UN General Assembly following the 2015 Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) held on March 18. The Maldives is among the few countries that have formulated such a comprehensive strategy. An annexe of the abovementioned strategy focuses exclusively on streamlining resilience efforts and increasing efficiency through the newly established DRR Strategy and the National Adaptation Plan, developed in line with the Paris Agreement.

SOURCE : The President’s Office 

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed on Wednesday that data collection, management, and analysis on cancer patients through a central cancer registry will be implemented nationwide next year.

HPA’s efforts to compile a cancer registry are concentrated in the capital, Male region.

In that regard, HPA told PSM News that 1,474 people with cancer have been identified from the Male’ region, adding that it hopes to wrap up the efforts by the end of the year.

The majority of people identified from the Male’ region have breast cancer, followed closely by lung, thyroid and blood cancer, HPA said.

HPA plans to expand data collection beyond the capital region next year, beginning with the major hospitals in the Atolls. The agency said the efforts will then be extended across the country.

Despite the increasing number of cancer patients in the Maldives in recent years, no official data have been collected to date.

To bridge that gap, HPA had launched efforts to compile a national cancer registry.

Hulhumale’ Hospital, the primary Government facility for cancer treatment, has reported the highest number of cancer cases, from Male’ City, Addu City, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, and Raa Atolls.

Primary treatments for cancer patients are typically provided abroad, which is costly and burdensome for both patients and the Government.

Notably, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 84 per cent of deaths in the Maldives, with 17 per cent attributed to cancer.

The Government has pledged to build a comprehensive cancer hospital in the Maldives with state-of-the-art facilities to address the lack of treatment available for cancer patients.

SOURCE : PSM