President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said increasing the number of Maldivian engineers is essential to the country’s development, outlining an ambition to eventually have engineering positions across the country filled by local professionals.
The President made the remarks during a meeting with students from the Faculty of Engineering, Science and Technology at the Maldives National University (MNU), held in connection with National Engineers’ Day.
Muizzu said the Maldives requires significantly more locally trained professionals across different branches of engineering as the country continues to undertake major infrastructure and development projects.
“Looking at the development of the Maldives, it is crucial that as many Maldivians as possible graduate from various essential engineering fields and serve the nation,” he said.
The President said his long-term objective is to develop sufficient local expertise for Maldivians to work throughout the country’s engineering sector instead of depending heavily on foreign professionals.
To support that objective, Muizzu said the government would work with the university to expand quality educational opportunities for students pursuing engineering qualifications in the Maldives.
Employment opportunities were also raised during the meeting, with several students expressing concern that foreign workers currently occupy a significant number of engineering positions while qualified Maldivians can face difficulties entering the sector.
Muizzu said the government intends to address those concerns and create clearer pathways for Maldivian engineering graduates to secure employment.
“In a small population like the Maldives, if young Maldivians graduate with degrees in engineering, there should be no reason for them not to get a job,” the President said.
He added that the government wants to create conditions where qualified Maldivians are able to move more easily from education into employment within their respective engineering disciplines.
The President also announced that engineering will receive greater priority under government-funded higher education opportunities, including High Achievers Scholarships and student loans.
The policy is intended to encourage more school leavers to consider engineering when choosing higher education programmes and ultimately increase the number of qualified Maldivians entering technical professions.
Muizzu said encouraging greater participation in engineering was also one of the reasons behind the government’s decision to establish National Engineers’ Day.
The annual observance was introduced as an official policy last year with the aim of raising the profile of engineering, recognising professionals working in the sector and generating greater interest among younger Maldivians.
The comments come as the government has announced further initiatives aimed at developing domestic engineering capacity. In his Engineers’ Day message, Muizzu announced plans to establish a state-of-the-art engineering research and testing laboratory in the Maldives.
The proposed facility is expected to support research and analysis across disciplines including civil, mechanical, electrical and electronics engineering, software engineering, aircraft and aeronautical engineering, robotics, artificial intelligence and digital engineering.
Engineering expertise remains particularly important for the Maldives as investment continues across housing, transport, airports, utilities, renewable energy, coastal protection, land reclamation and other major infrastructure sectors.
Muizzu said expanding educational opportunities and encouraging more Maldivians to pursue engineering would ultimately allow the country to build more of the technical expertise required for its development domestically.
