Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusaan, has announced that Maldives 2.0 will eliminate the necessity of contacting various parties and making requests to obtain or expedite services through the system. Minister Ihusaan further stated that this initiative will effectively close all avenues that contribute to corruption within the state.
Maldives 2.0 is a comprehensive project aimed at digitizing the Maldives and providing public services from various government institutions through a unified platform. Under this project, several agencies have already integrated their operations with this network. Providing an update to PSM News regarding the project’s progress, Minister Ali Ihusaan mentioned that approximately 200 government services have been integrated into the network, with 14 government agencies currently incorporated into this unified system.
The Minister explained that the integration of services from different agencies under Maldives 2.0 will transform the current system, which often requires the public to visit multiple offices repeatedly for a single matter. He added that this will allow individuals to access the service they require with just “a single click.”
“Looking at what can be implemented next year, the Maldives’ data exchange layer is currently very fragmented across different agencies. All these systems will be integrated into one,” the Minister stated. The Minister of Homeland Security further elaborated that with the changes introduced by this system, no transactions will be conducted in a manner that facilitates corruption, in addition to curbing practices like individuals making calls to expedite services from various agencies. He specifically noted that the culture of bypassing queues and fast-tracking services in places where people normally have to wait in line will be eradicated.
“The current situation in the Maldives is that when someone needs something, they call a friend in that institution and ask them to expedite the matter. That system will change; if such actions are taken, the system will flag that there is an issue,” the Minister affirmed. The government states that with this phased digitization project, doors open to corruption will be closed. Furthermore, the government anticipates that the data retention system in the Maldives will be strengthened, and the cybersecurity sector will be enhanced.
The government reveals that with the reformative work implemented through this project, services will be designed to be accessible with just a few clicks, replacing physical and digital queues. This will transform citizens’ experiences and perceptions, shifting from the current fragmented approach to governance and service delivery—where islands are perceived as separate entities and different systems are used for service provision—to an integrated network that provides unified services across the nation.
