President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has undertaken a significant restructuring of the Cabinet by dissolving the Ministry of Housing, Land and Urban Development and reallocating its responsibilities across other ministries. Following this move, planning functions previously managed by the Housing Ministry have been transferred to the Ministry of Finance, prompting its renaming to the Ministry of Finance and Planning. Moosa Zameer will continue to lead this rebranded ministry.
Responsibilities concerning housing have been shifted to the Construction Ministry, now renamed the Ministry of Higher Education, Skills Development and Labour, under the leadership of Dr. Abdulla Muththalib. Dr. Ali Haidhar, former minister of the dissolved Housing Ministry, has been appointed as Minister of Higher Education, Skills Development and Labour. Concurrently, Dr. Mariyam Mariya, who previously held that position, will assume the role of Minister of Agriculture and Animal Welfare following Dr. Rameela’s resignation due to health reasons.
The dissolution comes amidst widespread criticism directed at the Housing Ministry, particularly concerning delays in releasing the list of beneficiaries for the Binveriya and Gedhoruveriya housing scheme initiated by the previous administration. This restructuring aims to address these issues while optimizing government functions.
