News . 2026-04-30 22:00:15
Malé, Republic of Maldives | 30th April 2026
The Maldives Digital Summit 2026, held from 27–29 April 2026 at Barceló Nasandhura Hotel, has successfully concluded after three days of high-level dialogue, technical workshops, and practical collaboration. The summit reaffirmed the Maldives’ commitment to the Maldives 2.0 Vision: building a resilient, inclusive, and Digital First Nation.
Opening Ceremony and Remarks
The Summit commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran by Mr. Aayan Ahmed Inaan, a student at Villa International High School.
The Summit was officially inaugurated by Mr. Ali Ihusaan, Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology. In his address, he outlined the Maldives 2.0 Vision and the nation’s digital transformation roadmap also emphasized people‑centered digital public infrastructure, whole government coordination, secure and interoperable data sharing, trusted digital identity as well as the responsible adoption of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
Opening remarks were also delivered by Ms. Vyjayanti Desai, Practice Manager for Digital & AI, South Asia Region, World Bank. In her address, she highlighted the World Bank’s Digital Strategy and its engagement with the Maldives through the D’MADD Project, underscoring the importance of data-driven governance, digital public infrastructure and institutional capacity building.
Global Perspectives on Digital Transformation
The Summit featured Country Spotlight sessions showcasing international digital transformation journeys and these sessions provided valuable global perspectives for the implementation of Maldives 2.0.
Dr. Yoon-seok Ko, Vice President of the National Information Society Agency (South Korea), shared Korea’s milestones, priorities, challenges, and lessons learned.
Mr. Iurie Turcanu, former Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalization of Moldova, shared on Moldova’s digital evolution and success factors.
Ms. Jessica McEvoy, Director of Delivery, Apolitical, Former Deputy Director, Platforms & Services, Government Digital Service, United Kingdom, presented insights from the United Kingdom’s digital transformation experience.
Pannel Discussions and Policy Dialogue
A central highlight was the high‑level panel “Implementing Maldives 2.0: Building a Digital First Nation through a Global Lens”, moderated by Ms. Anna Metz, Digital Transformation Specialist, World Bank. The discussion explored the best practices of the global, cross‑government collaboration, capacity building as well as the role of the private sector in enabling national digital transformation.
Panelists:
Dr. Mohamed Kinaanath, Minister of State for Homeland Security, Labour and Technology & Head of Maldives Digital Service
Ms. Saeeda Umar, Managing Director, MINDCo
Dr. Yoon‑seok Ko, Vice President of the National Information Society Agency, South Korea
Mr. Iurie Turcanu, former Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalization, Moldova
Ms. Jessica McEvoy, Director of Delivery, Apolitical, Former Deputy Director, Platforms & Services, Government Digital Service, United Kingdom
Another key panel, “Mobilizing for Government Digital Transformation: Action Plan for Maldives 2.0”, was moderated by Mr. Hussain Naushad, Senior Government Digital Service Specialist, MDS. The session stressed coordinated action, safeguards, and stakeholder engagement to ensure meaningful digital transformation.
Panelists:
Mr. Ahmed Shafeeu, Minister of State for Education, Higher Education and Skills Development
Ms. Shazra Mohamed Saeed, Project Manager, Maldives Digital Service
Ms. Aminath Ahlaam, Manager, Strategic Planning & Projects, MINDCo
Mr. Mohamed Riznee, Director General, National Cybersecurity Agency
Mr. Abdulla Muizz Ahmed, Deputy Director General – IT, Ministry of Health, Family and Welfare
Strengthening Data, Cybersecurity, and Digital Infrastructure
Key technical sessions addressed the foundations of digital government. These discussions were complemented by interactive technical dialogues that produced mini action plans for the Maldives Data Exchange (MDX).
Mr. Hussain Naushad, Senior Government Digital Service Specialist, Maldives Digital Service, presented on data sharing enablers and digital infrastructure.
Mr. Ahmed Naufal Abdul Hadee, Chief Executive Officer, National Cybersecurity Agency, highlighted cybersecurity considerations for data sharing.
A panel on government data sharing good practices, moderated by Ms. Anna Metz, Digital Transformation Specialist, World Bank, featured:
o Dr. Yoon-seok Ko, Vice President of the National Information Society Agency, South Korea
o Mr. Iurie Turcanu, former Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalization, Moldova
o Mr. Hassaan Mohamed, Chief Executive Officer, Environmental Regulatory Authority
o Mr. Aditya Agrawal, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, D4DInsights
o Mr. Hany Nasyr, Senior Software Engineer, Maldives Digital Service
Service Design, AI, and Emerging Technologies
Mr. Mohamed Arushad, Lead Solutions Engineer, MINDCo, presented on Maldives’ evolving vision for service design.
Ms. Jessica McEvoy, Director of Delivery, Apolitical; former Deputy Director, Platforms & Services, Government Digital Service, UK, delivered sessions on UK Service Design Principles and led a Service Design Masterclass.
Panel on citizen-centric service design, moderated by Mr. Mohamed Ushau, Head of Future Institute, MINDCo, featured:
o Ms. Jessica McEvoy, Director of Delivery, Apolitical, Former Deputy Director, Platforms & Services, Government Digital Service, UK
o Mr. Mohamed Arushad, Lead Solutions Engineer, MINDCo
o Mr. Hany Nasyr, Senior Software Engineer, Maldives Digital Service
o Mr. Abdulla Musthafa, CTO, Payment Maldives
o Mr. Ibrahim Mohamed, Executive Director, Bridging the Communities Maldives
Dr. Ibrahim Shiyam, Minister of State for homeland Security, labour and technology, presented how MDS is leveraging AI for policy drafting and governance.
Dr. Yoon-seok Ko shared South Korea’s experience using AI to strengthen digital government.
Mr. Mohamed Ushau presented Building National Shared AI Capability on behalf of MINDCo.
Inclusion, Digital Identity, and Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Modernization
Women in Tech Maldives Panel: Inclusive by Design, moderated by Ms. Fathimath Zameela, emphasized accessibility and inclusive digital services.
Sessions on digital wallets, verifiable credentials, e-signatures, and eFaas upgrades featured Ms. Anna Metz, Mr. Iurie Turcanu, and Ms. Shazra Mohamed Saeed.
CRVS and National ID modernization sessions included:
o Mr. Mohamed Umair, Director, Department of National Registration
o Ms. Moomina Abdullah, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Health
o Ms. Aishath Hassan, Chief Statistician, Maldives Bureau of Statistics
Contributors and Participants
Throughout the Summit, contributors and participants include, DNR, MDS, MINDCo, NCSA, Health sector, Education sector, financial sector, Digital Transformation Officers from key government agencies, technology professionals, and global experts.
Closing Ceremony
The Summit concluded with closing remarks by Dr. Mohamed Kinaanath, Minister of State for Homeland Security, Labour and Technology and Head of MDS, reflecting on collective progress and reinforcing the importance of sustained collaboration and coordinated implementation as well as Ms. Anna Metz (World Bank) delivered closing reflections, highlighting partnership, shared learning, and continued collaboration.
