Former President Defends Legacy of Contentious Addu Convention Center

MALÉ, — Former President and current MDP Chairperson Mohamed Nasheed has defended his long-term economic vision for Addu City, stating that his primary policy objective has always been to introduce and establish “convention tourism” as a sustainable economic pillar for the southern atoll.

Nasheed’s remarks, shared via a post on social media platform X, follow recent criticism from a senior government spokesperson who characterized the facility built under Nasheed’s administration as a “wasteful” expenditure created strictly for temporary use without long-term planning.

Defending his record, Nasheed clarified that the original blueprint extended far beyond a one-off event. “The vision was to utilize the convention centre alongside a neighboring hotel development—which was meant to be put out for public tender—to groom Addu City into a premier destination for convention tourism,” he explained. He emphasized that establishing the Maldives as a regional hub for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) would have yielded substantial long-term financial returns.

The Dispute Over Addu’s Iconic Infrastructure

• The Historic Site: Under Nasheed’s presidency, the state constructed the high-tech Equatorial Convention Centre (ECC) to host the 17th SAARC Summit in Addu City in 2011. At the time, it boasted some of the most modern conference facilities in South Asia.

• The Structural Shift: Following changes in consecutive administrations and periods of disuse, the grand convention structure was ultimately structurally remodeled and repurposed to open as the Addu Equatorial Hospital (AEH).

• The Policy Clash: While the current administration’s spokesperson recently labeled the 2011 project an unsustainable drain on public finance, Nasheed argues that abandoning the convention model cost the region a major economic driver.

Economic Rationale: Nasheed reiterated that diversifying the Maldives’ traditional holiday-resort model by branching into corporate and diplomatic convention tourism remains crucial for reviving Addu’s stagnant local economy, creating specialized employment, and directly boosting grassroots businesses.