The World Bank begins the regular supervisory mission of the D’MADD project which will be conducted from 26 – 30th April 2026.

The mission team consists of Task Team Leader Ms. Anna Metz (Sr Digital Development Specialist) and Co-Task Team Leader Ms. Minita Mary Varghese (Digital Development Specialist).

As customary, the mission began with the kick off meeting with the representatives from the stakeholder organisations held at the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises on 26th April 2026.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Finance and Public Entreprises, Mr. Hassan Miras (Minister of State), Mr. Mohamed Yammai (Chief Resource Mobilization Executive), Ms. Mariyam Hamdha (Asst. Resource Mobilization Executive) and Ms. Aminath Shazra Moosa (Resource Mobilization Executive). Representing the D’MADD PMU were D’MADD PMU, Dr. Ibrahim Waheed (Project Manager), Ms. Ahlam Abdul Sattar (Finance Management Specialist), Ms. Shama Ahmed Rasheed (Procurement Specialist) and Ms. Fathmath Shafa Hussain (Project Officer).

The meeting was also participated by Key project stakeholders including Project Director, Dr. Mohamed Kinaanath (Minister of State for Homeland Security, Labour and Technology), representing Maldives Digital Service (MDS). Mr Ilyas Ahmed (Chief Executive represented the Communications Authority of Maldives (CAM), while Mr. Ajwad Musthafa, Permanent Secretary, represented the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy (MoCCEE),

The Task Team Leader Ms Anna Metz kicked of the meeting by welcoming the participants and the discussions focused on assessing what can be achieved before the project’s current closing date of 30 June 2027, while exploring options to strengthen implementation and ensure alignment with evolving national priorities. A second focus was placed on preparations for the Maldives Digital Summit and workshops to be held over the span of 3 days from 27th to 29th April 2026.

State Minister Dr. Mohamed Kinaanath provided an overview of the ongoing preparations for the summit, highlighting its significance as a timely platform to bring together government agencies, share global experiences, and sustain momentum for advancing the country’s digital agenda.

State Minister Dr. Kinaanath noted project implementation has been slowed by delays in the Data Protection Bill, which is a key requirement for major components such as digital identity systems and civil registration upgrades, with a significant share of project funding tied to its passage. He noted that feedback from the Attorney General’s Office has now been received, but the bill has yet to be submitted to Parliament, stressing the need for expedited action to advance the project and unlock its full potential.

The members also discussed the delays in policy decisions and procurement processes have also affected progress, especially for the development of a national data-sharing platform for climate-related applications. While foundational work has been completed, discussions are ongoing on whether to adjust the scope to ensure delivery within the remaining timeline.

State Minister Dr. Kinaanath indicated that a proposal is being prepared to explore project restructuring, and potentially request a timeline extension, to better align activities with Maldives 2.0 priorities.

Both the mission team and the Country Management Office of the World Bank emphasised on the importance to try to achieve as much as possible so that they can also look in to the possibility of an extension to the project based on the performance specially in the areas of procurement that is held due the failure of introducing the data privacy bill to the parliament. They noted that while restructuring is supported, project extensions are subject to rigorous review and require strong justification, with emphasis placed on achieving results within the project’s original timeframe.

Minister of State Mr. Miras ensured that the Ministry of Finance and Public Entreprises will provide full support to the project specially in terms of the restructuring and extension of the project.

In the overall project management, not obstructed by the data privacy bill, Ms Anna Metz confirmed that significant progress has been recorded across several components of the project, particularly in regulatory capacity building and digital infrastructure, the pilot projects and the data sharing platform with climate data as the key use case.  

Dr. Waheed, Project Manager of the D’MADD Project, said implementation has been affected by shifting policy directions and delays in decision-making. He noted that the climate data-sharing platform, originally designed as a standalone system, was later intended to be integrated into a broader national data exchange framework, but progress slowed pending formal policy guidance. He also highlighted that delays in the Personal Data Protection Bill—submitted for review over a year ago—have constrained key procurements, including digital identity and civil registration systems. He added that project performance varies across components, with stronger progress in Communications Authority-led work, moderate progress in climate activities, and slower advancement in digital identity due to legislative dependencies, alongside broader structural constraints such as sequencing requirements and a shortened implementation window.

Both Mr. Ajwad Musthafa and Mr. Ilyas Ahmed representing the stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to the project and agreed on the need for focused technical discussions to identify achievable outputs and strengthen implementation performance.

The meeting concluded with agreement to develop a clear implementation pathway for the remaining project period, while continuing efforts to advance key digital enablers critical to the Maldives’ long-term digital transformation.