President Appoints New Ministers; Key Portfolios Merged and Split

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has restructured the Cabinet, reducing the number of ministries from 19 to 14, total cabinet members amounting to 15 with the inclusion of the Attorney General.

The changes were formalised at a ceremony held at the President’s Office yesterday evening, where several ministries were merged and others restructured, with their portfolios changing. The previously combined Ministry of Tourism and Environment has been separated into the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy. The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social and Family Development have been merged into the Ministry of Health, Family, and Welfare. The ministries for education and higher education have now been combined to be the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Skills Development.

The Ministry of Cities, Local Government, and Public Work has been annulled, while the Ministry of Dhivehi Language, Culture and Heritage in the Maldives’s mandate has been put under the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage.

Four ministers appointed during the ceremony are new to the Cabinet:

• Iruthisham Adam – Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Geela Ali – Minister of Health, Family and Welfare
• Ali Shareef – Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy
• Heena Waleed – Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage

Previously, Heena Waleed had served as the CEO of the National Social Protection Agency and concurrently as the Spokesperson for the President’s Office, until yesterday.

Including the four new ministers, the following have been appointed to the Cabinet:

1. Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises – Moosa Zameer
2. Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology – Ali Ihusaan
3. Minister of Foreign Affairs – Iruthisham Adam
4. Minister of Education, Higher Education and Skills Development – Dr Ismail Shafeeu
5. Minister of Health, Family and Welfare – Geela Ali
6. Minister of Economic Development, Transport and Trade – Mohamed Saeed
7. Minister of Islamic Affairs and Endowments – Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed
8. Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation – Mohamed Ameen
9. Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Fitness – Abdulla Rafiu
10. Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage – Heena Waleed
11. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development – Dr Abdulla Muththalib
12. Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy – Ali Shareef

The only minister who did not retake their vow last night is the Minister Fisheries and Ocean Resources, Ahmed Shiyam. President Muizzu has not yet appointed a new minister to lead the Ministry of Defence. 

The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice Abdul Ghanee Mohamed, after which ministers signed their declarations.

The restructuring follows the resignation of 10 cabinet members on the same day. The President’s Office thanked the outgoing ministers for their service, stating the changes would support planned government reforms.

The reshuffle comes amid a broader wave of resignations and dismissals across state institutions following recent electoral setbacks, including the 4 April referendum and losses in local council and Women’s Development Committee elections.