The Homeland Security Ministry has started the process of awarding a project to develop an accommodation facility for foreign workers to a Malaysian company called Atilze Digital.
A subsidiary of G3 Global Berhad, Atilze Digital was enlisted to build a National Integrated Migrant Workers Dormitory (NiMWD), Malaysian media reported.
Sharing information about the project with Adhadhu, Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusan said the project was based on an unsolicited proposal from the Malaysian company. The decision was made under the government's policy to improve the condition of expatriate living quarters, he added.
"Their proposal was to develop dormitories. This is a policy of our government as well. We want to keep foreign workers, these people in the unskilled labour category, in a separate place," Ihusan said.
"[We want] to put a stop to them being all over the place all throughout the island and staying in accommodation that doesn't fit with any law, regulation or standards."
After discussing Atilze's proposal, the Economic Council agreed to offer exclusivity for building the dormitories and instructed the company to prepare and submit a final proposal.
If a concession agreement is signed, all foreign workers in the Maldives must reside in facilities built by the company. The government decided to provide exclusivity because the company proposed it, Ihusan said.
"They requested providing it exclusively. [They said] 'we can't make such an investment if it's not given exclusively,'" he said.
Facilities with the capacity to accommodate 100,000 people are to be built in Male' and Hulhumale' under the project to develop the migrant worker dormitories.
The company is to finance the design and construction of the buildings together with a digital mechanism to oversee and manage the residents. However, all work related to providing services at the dormitories as well as management and maintenance will be undertaken by the Maldives government under a revenue sharing model, Ihusan said.
A decision will be made on whether the facility will be managed jointly with Altize by either the Homeland Security Ministry or a government-owned company as a public-private partnership, Ihusan said. The estimated cost will be known when the company's final proposal is received, he said.
Altize is to be contracted for a concession period of 30 years starting from the date of issuance of the land lease with an automatic extension of an additional 30 years, Malaysian media reported. No other company can develop foreign worker dormitories in the Maldives and offer accommodation services during this period.
Altize's main business involves providing telecommunication services and products. As such, the facilities to be developed by the company in the Maldives will be connected by the latest digital network to enable easy management of all residents, Ihusan said.
Most expatriate living quarters at present are unfit for human habitation. The previous government had enacted accommodation regulations to solve the problem but the rules have not been properly enforced to date.
On Saturday, Fayyaz Ismail, chairperson of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), expressed concern over the planned exclusivity and mandatory requirement for all employers to use the new facilities.
In a post on X, the Economic Development Minister under the previous government said there was no issue with a foreign party providing the service without the mandatory requirement.
A private local company or a state-owned enterprise could also undertake the project, Fayyaz said, referring to the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) contracting China's Rotime to develop such a facility during the previous government.
"Sadly any future government will not have any other choice but to terminate such a damaging contract and paving way for huge damages. The President and Home Minister must clear this to the public and if this is something ongoing immediately suspend and rethink on this," Fayyaz said.
