The government has relocated the operation of two ministries to the newly developed Umar Zahir Office Building in Hulhumale'. The building was named after the late Umar Zahir, a state dignitary, and honouree of the Order of the Distinguished Rule of Izzuddin who passed away in December 2022.
The first two ministries relocated to the office building are the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services and the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. All services provided by both ministries can now be sought from the new building. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Higher Education will be relocated to the building in March.
The government decided to develop an office building in Hulhumale' in 2019 in order to find a solution to the problem of ministries having to rent their own premises indefinitely. The office building was developed by China's Hunan Engineering Corporation Limited. The six-storey office building is constructed on an area of 25,000sqft and will consist of a parking area on the ground floor and the first floor. The offices will be located from the second to the fifth floor, and the top floor of the building will hold small meeting rooms, a seminar room, and a terrace.