News Desk
In a move marking her return to government service, former cabinet minister Dr Maryam Mariya has been appointed Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ending five months on the political sidelines.
Dr Mariya was officially appointed to the post on 3 September. While appointments to Ambassador-at-Large roles typically precede a posting as a foreign mission head, the administration has yet to confirm her specific diplomatic assignment.
The appointment completes a political rehabilitation following her exit from the cabinet earlier this year. Dr Mariya entered President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s inaugural cabinet in November 2023 as Minister of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development. However, during a cabinet reshuffle in December 2024, she was reassigned to head the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare—a portfolio shift that signaled a step down in her cabinet standing.
Her tenure in cabinet came to an end in April 2026, when she resigned alongside several senior ministers in the wake of the ruling coalition’s poor performance in the local council elections. The administrative restructuring saw a number of high-profile figures sidelined without immediate reassignment.
While several former colleagues were gradually absorbed into foreign service assignments following the election fallout, Dr Mariya remained without a public post for nearly five months. Her transition to the Foreign Ministry reflects a broader pattern under President Muizzu of bringing displaced cabinet figures back into government service through the diplomatic corps.
