Addu Link Road Expansion and Business Relief Included in 2027 Budget

The government has included major infrastructure and business support for Addu City in the proposed 2027 state budget, aiming to drive economic growth outside the Male area.

Finance Minister presented the plan to Parliament, highlighting road works across Addu alongside new support for small businesses. A key part of the plan is widening the Addu Link Road and upgrading connecting streets across the city.

The Link Road project has already been contracted to Hong Kong-based Rotime Engineering and Technology Co., Ltd. Under the deal, the contractor will widen a 12.3-kilometre section between the Detour Bridge and the Hithadhoo Stadium from two lanes to four.

Minister of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muththalib signed the agreement on behalf of the government, while Rotime Engineering Managing Director Zhou Weidong signed for the company.

The project had earlier been handed to the state-owned Road Development Corporation (RDC). RDC had moved heavy machinery to Addu and begun site clearing earlier this year, but the ministry later took the Link Road component out of RDC's portfolio and reassigned it to Rotime Engineering. Poor road conditions along the corridor have drawn complaints from residents for years.

Beyond road construction, the 2027 budget sets aside funds to establish a regional economic zone in the south, giving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Addu tax and administrative relief. The budget also includes seed funding for startup businesses run by young Maldivians, intended to help young people start their own ventures rather than rely on civil service or resort jobs.