Japan has pledged a grant of 1.55 billion Japanese Yen to support a new disaster resilience project in Malé, with the aim of strengthening the island’s coastal defences and improving stormwater drainage systems. The funding commitment was formalised on Friday during a signing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Exchange of Notes was signed by Japan’s Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Her Excellency Ms. Ikuina Akiko, and the Maldives’ Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Abdulla Khaleel. Ms. Ikuina visited Malé as Special Envoy of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, coinciding with the Maldives’ 60th Independence Day celebrations.
The new initiative will focus on restoring and upgrading the seawalls along the eastern and northern coasts of Malé, following up on the earlier Japanese-funded seawall project carried out between 1987 and 2006. That project is credited with protecting the capital during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
In addition to seawall rehabilitation, the grant will fund the provision of specialised equipment to improve stormwater drainage on the island. The project is scheduled for completion by 2027 and will be implemented by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in coordination with the Maldives’ Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure.
The Embassy of Japan noted that environmental protection, disaster prevention, and climate resilience remain central to Japan’s development cooperation with the Maldives.
