The Ministry of Housing has announced plans to launch additional social housing schemes outside Malé.
The government targets inauguration of two new projects within the coming month.
State Minister of Housing Ahmed Nazim Mohamed confirmed the timeline on a state media programme. “These two projects are intended to be implemented in the islands alongside the existing ongoing projects,” he commented.
The Ministry describes the initiatives as a deliberate push to redistribute the population. The government wants citizens to settle in designated urban development zones outside the capital rather than converging on Malé. Officials identify inadequate housing in home islands and atolls as a leading driver for internal migrations; specifically towards the capital region.
New housing outside Malé now sits at the centre of the government’s decentralization agenda. The Ministry states that these new schemes will run alongside projects already underway.
Government’s new housing initiatives also carry a second important objective: economical. Reduction in internal migration could lease demand on the capital’s already strained infrastructure, lower urban congestion costs, and stimulate economic activity in outer atolls.