Maldives has participated in yet another important meeting of an international financial institution. This time it’s the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Maldivian Minister of Finance and Planning Moosa Zameer returned home Friday after concluding a successful visit to Beijing China where he attended the 10th Annual Meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Board of Governors. He also held a number of high-level meetings on the sideline, aimed at advancing development cooperation and securing future financing opportunities for Maldives.
The three-day summit, held from 24 to 26 June at the China National Convention Center 2 in Beijing, brought together 3,500 guests from about 100 countries and regions.
They included representatives from AIIB member states, business leaders, civil society organizations, journalists and international policy experts. Marking a decade since the bank’s founding, the gathering underscored AIIB’s expanding role in infrastructure investment across Asia and beyond.
In a closed-door session of the Board of Governors, Minister Zameer joined deliberations involving candidate interviews and the selection of the bank’s next president. He also addressed a concurrent business roundtable themed “Building on a Decade of Impact”, offering perspectives on the Maldives’ development priorities and fiscal strategy.
Beyond the formal sessions, the minister engaged in bilateral consultations with senior executives from the China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (SINOSURE) and the China Development Bank (CDB). These conversations focused on ongoing Maldivian infrastructure efforts, which, according to the Finance Ministry, were met with strong interest from both institutions.
One high light of Minister Zameer’s trip is his meeting with Jin Liqun President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting . The meeting reaffirmed the strong partnership between the Maldives and the AIIB and explored avenues for future collaboration to support the Maldives' development agenda, while both parties expressed their readiness to enhance collaboration. Minister Zameer shared information about significant ongoing projects in the Maldives that are being supported by the AIIB, including crucial assistance for the nation's recovery from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and financing for the Waste-to-Energy program, which aims to create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly waste management system in the country.
He also briefed President Jin on the comprehensive economic reforms being undertaken by the Maldivian government, and emphasized that these reforms are poised to foster robust economic growth. A key driver of this anticipated growth is the major infrastructure development currently underway, most notably the new terminal at Velana International Airport and the establishment of new airports in various regions, which are expected to boost the tourism sector and overall activity he said.
Discussions were also held on future financing needs of the Maldives, with Minister Zameer elaborating on the governments vision for national Development, identifying key areas where the AIIB support would be instrumental in achieving the set targets.
Minister Zameer, who is also the Governor of the AIIB for the Maldives, was accompanied by Dr. Fazeel Najeeb, Ambassador of the Maldives to China; Ali Sajid Shakir, Second Secretary at the Embassy of Maldives in China; Mizna Waheed, Second Secretary at the Embassy of Maldives in China, and Rauha Ibrahim, Resource Mobilization Analyst, Ministry of Finance and Planning.
