Maldives drafts a law to protect a 20-year National Development Master Plan running to 2040

25 September 2026

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said legislation is being drafted to protect a 20-year National Development Master Plan for the Maldives, running up to 2040. He set this out on an episode of Nation Chat, the podcast series of the state broadcaster Public Service Media. Looking back, the President said projects begun by one administration have at times been dropped by the next, which shifted national priorities and cost the country. A plan on paper alone is not enough, he argued, so the law is meant to shield it from political change and carry it across successive governments. The stated aim is a clear development pathway for the Maldives towards 2040. Recalling his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, he said he wanted to show that a small state can still work towards self-reliance and developed status. Presenting that vision abroad, he added, should widen the world's understanding of the country and the openings available to it.