The Ministry of Cities, Local Government, and Public Works has announced a list of 50 islands where new local council buildings will be constructed. The islands have been selected based on criteria such as the current status, available space, and service levels of the existing council facilities.
Speaking at a press conference, Minister of Cities, Local Government, and Public Works, Adam Shareef Umar said that the 50 islands chosen for this project are separate from those included in the 2023 and 2024 Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) budgets. He said that the reason for the exclusion is that the PSIP projects are already at various stages of development.
Additionally, Minister Adam Shareef emphasised the rigorous process used to identify the most suitable islands for the new constructions. As such, he said that data collection revealed 102 islands in urgent need of new council buildings. From this list, he said that 50 islands were prioritised for this year, focusing on those with the poorest existing facilities. He said that key factors in the selection included the age of current buildings, the extent of required repairs, available space, and the presence of essential facilities like storerooms, bathrooms, and prayer rooms. He also said that the new buildings will incorporate police desks and court services.
Furthermore, Minister Adam Shareef said that the construction of the office buildings is set to begin this year, featuring spacious designs to accommodate the councils' operational needs. He also said that the pre-fabricated buildings will be constructed with support from the Chinese government.
Moreover, Minister Adam Shareef noted that ongoing work is progressing on 55 islands included in the 2023 and 2024 PSIP budgets. He also said that the government aims to construct council buildings in all 102 identified islands with poor conditions within this term.