The D’MADD project, in collaboration with international experts from the Telecommunications Management Group (TMG), conducted a comprehensive series of consultations from May 11 to May 15, 2025, aimed at shaping the nation’s Digital Identity Bill. The mission brought together senior officials, legal teams, and technical experts across multiple ministries to align on policy goals, legislative frameworks, and implementation strategies for a secure and inclusive digital identity ecosystem. Dr. Ibrahim Waheed (Project Manager) participated in the meeting along with Mr. Daniel Leza (Legal Expert/Team Leader), Dr. Ted Dunston (Digital Development Expert), and Uz. Hassan Maaz Shareef (Local Legal Expert) participated from the TMG team.

The mission commenced on Sunday, 11th May 2025 with a strategic meeting between the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology (MoHST) and the National Center for Information Technology (NCIT). Dr. Mohamed Kinaanath (Minister of State for Homeland Security and Technology), along with Senior management members from both MoHST and NCIT, joined the discussions. Discussions focused on the Maldives’ forward-looking digital ID policy goals, a deep dive into the performance and challenges of the eFaas system, and the presentation of the Report by the TMG team. The session also reviewed the status of draft legislation on data protection and cybersecurity and scoped key issues for inclusion in the Digital ID Bill.

Monday, 12th May 2025, the team met with the Department of National Registration at Velaanaage Building, where similar themes were discussed, emphasizing stakeholder engagement and alignment. The team also gained input from the organisation on their role as the national agency responsible for maintaining the civil registry and complications, both legal and technical, when sharing personal data with the eFaas platform.

The team then met with the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Yusuf Riza, Mr. Abdulla Habeeb (IT Consultant) and Mr. Yoosuf Naeem (Strategy and Registrations Services Consultant) at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT). The MEDT is one of the first users of eFaas, utilising it as the Single Sign On service for their online services. The team continued to socialise the Digital ID Bill’s objectives and approach, giving technical answers on the subject matter from both technical and legal perspectives on having a digital identity.

The stakeholder meeting then continued at the NCIT building with the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. Discussions focused on sector-specific implications and feedback mechanisms to ensure broad-based support for the initiative. Dr. Ibrahim Shiyam (State Minister), Ms. Aminath Abdul Kareem (IT Executive) and Mr. Ahmed Haroon Network (Administrator) participated from the Ministry.

The TMG team then met with Tradenet Maldives Corporation Limited. This state-owned company operates “OneGov,” a platform that provides a single window to access online government services, obtaining their requirements for the bill. Mr. Ahmed Samoon (General Manager, ICT) and Ahmed Varish Mohamed (General Manager, Business Development) represented the company.

The team then continued a conversation with Dr. Ahmed Naufal Abdul Hadee (Chief Executive) and Mr. Mohamed Riznee (Director General) of the National Cybersecurity Agency, with a discussion of cross-agency collaboration and robust cybersecurity frameworks within the digital identity ecosystem. The need for coordinated efforts across digital service platforms was highlighted in the session.

On Tuesday, 13th May 2025, the day began with a meeting at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, where fiscal implications and policy alignment were discussed. The ministry shared its digital services plan and systems in the pipeline. They also provided their requirements to be addressed in the digital identity bill so that they can adopt any such service, such as the eFaas, including items related to Digital Signatures and data privacy. Dr. Waheed highlighted the ongoing legislative work, specifically the data personal protection and privacy bill and the Cyber Security bill that will complement the new digital identity bill. He also highlighted the tasks already in the D’MADD project to raise awareness about the content of the bills once passed. The ministry’s team was led by Mr. Mohamed Naiz (Chief Information Officer - Public Finance Modernization and Reform Department), along with nine members of the key department of the ministry.

This was followed by a session with the Ministry of Construction, Housing & Infrastructure, where we provided an overview of the Digital ID Bill project objectives and shared initial views on the proposed approach to gather feedback and promote buy-in. Mr. Hassan Shiyaz, Project Manager (MUDRP), Ms. Fathimath Shaufa, Director, Mr. Mohamed Aiham (Assistant Property Management Officer), Mr. Fairooz Abdul Latheef (Assistant Director), and Ms. Saadha Ibrahim (Financial Specialist) joined from the Ministry.

The TMG team then met with representatives from the telecom sector, consisting of the regulator Communications Authority, Dhiraagu, and Ooredoo Maldives, the largest phone and internet operators, to discuss telecom sector engagement and digital service delivery, and their specific regulatory requirements for a digital identification service.

A subsequent meeting was also held with financial institutions, including the regulator, Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), with the two largest commercial banks, Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB) and Bank of Maldives Limited (BML), exploring the role of digital identity in financial inclusion and security. MIB already uses eFaas as a digital onboarding tool that helps users open a bank account without any in-person verification, which the public has widely accepted.

The mission concluded on Thursday, 15th May 2025, with a debriefing session at NCIT, where senior management from MoHST and NCIT reviewed the outcomes of the week-long consultations. Key action items and follow-ups were identified, and next steps for drafting and refining the Digital ID Bill were agreed upon, marking a pivotal moment in the Maldives’ digital transformation journey.