The government has included a digital traffic management system powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in next year’s budget, aiming to address the issues of congestion and heavy traffic on the streets of Malé.
The initiative to establish an AI-driven system follows the formulation of a new land transport law, which mandates specific measures to resolve the capital's traffic crisis.
Presenting the budget statement to the People’s Majlis, Finance Minister Hassan Zareer emphasised that technological intervention is essential to solving Malé’s traffic woes. He noted that work is currently underway to establish a "Smart Traffic Enforcement System" in the Greater Malé Area.
"In addition to modernising the management of Malé’s traffic, the upcoming year's budget includes the establishment of a 'Smart Traffic Enforcement System' to digitalise traffic monitoring using Artificial Intelligence, making it a more effective system than what is currently in place," Zareer said.
Beyond the AI system, Zareer stated that the budget for next year also covers the implementation of the "Greater Malé Transport Mobility Plan."
The development of this traffic system aligns with the government’s "Maldives 2.0" policy. In this regard, Zareer announced several key initiatives in next year's budget to support this digital transformation.
These include the establishment of a "National Sovereign Cloud Data Centre" to securely manage state data and the introduction of a "Digital Identification System" or smart card system. Efforts to strengthen the tax system were also highlighted.
Zareer stated that "Maldives 2.0" is being implemented to transform public services through modern technology, aiming to expedite service delivery, enhance integrity, and curb corruption across government offices.
However, the implementation of this policy has been slow. Despite a major event held last year to announce a "digitalisation revolution," there has been little progress toward this large-scale digital shift throughout the current year.
Similarly, there are hurdles to implementing the government’s traffic management plan as intended. Key challenges identified include the lack of integration between relevant agencies under a single network, the absence of a comprehensive CCTV network, and a lack of resources required to enforce the provisions of the law.
