The President of the Maldives, Dr Mohamed Waheed, is to meet with Mr Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai soon to discuss the possibility of the Reliance Group investing in an IT park in the island nation. In an exclusive interview to Business Line , Dr Waheed said: “We can discuss that also (giving ownership of an island for an IT park) because in the tourism sector, we are able to rent out islands for up to 50 years. We are looking for a similar kind of arrangement in the IT sector also but with the proviso that this is a project that should promote employment among our youth. We are open to good ideas.”
The Maldives delegation met another company in Delhi for setting up the IT park during its ongoing visit.
In addition, the Maldives is looking at Indians investing in tourism and also Indian tourists travelling there.
on tourists
“Not enough Indian tourists are coming to the Maldives and that is a matter of concern for us. I am sure it is also a matter of concern for India, particularly when you realise that there are so many Chinese tourists who are coming to the Maldives now,” Dr Waheed pointed out. Tourism is the largest industry in the island nation. During its Mumbai visit the delegation will also meet with the Tata group because it is already involved in housing projects in the Maldives. “We want these projects to proceed as quickly as possible,” the President said.
The President felt that the recent political upheaval in Maldives had not led to any loss in investor confidence in the island nation.