Addu City Council has officially launched its services on the oneGov platform, marking a historic step in digital governance for one of the Maldives’ largest population centres. 

To celebrate this achievement, a special ceremony was held at the Addu City Council Office in Hithadhoo, with Tradenet Managing Director Ms. Saeeda Umar and Addu City Mayor Mr. Ali Nizar delivering remarks. 

What makes this achievement remarkable is the speed of implementation. ީIn just 11 days, The Addu City Council went from paper-based services to taking its first steps towards being a fully digital service environment on oneGov.

In this article, we will be taking a closer look at the digital transformation journey that made this amazing milestone possible.

From 15 Services to 5 Core Services

At the start of the project, the Solutions team of Tradenet studied 15 services provided by the Council. 

Many of these services required similar information and processes, so they were re-engineered and merged into five core services. 

This approach simplified applications for citizens, while reducing duplication and paperwork for the Council.

Here’s the detailed breakdown of the core services and what was merged to create them:

• Issuance of Road Permit
  Merged from:
  • Permit to conduct works on streets
  • Permit for temporary road closure
  • Permit for road excavation
  • Electric cable installation permit (excavation & hanging)
  
  

• Permit to Conduct Events and Activities in Public Places
  Merged from:
  • Permit for broadcasting sounds and music through loudspeakers
  • Permit to hold entertainment activities in public places
  • Permit to film on the island, connected sea areas, or public places
  • Permit to conduct political activities in social areas
  
  

• Harbour Use Permit
  Merged from:
  • Harbour usage permit
  • Harbour entry permit
  • Vessel berthing permit – Fathiyaa
  • Permit for harbour electricity usage
  • Permit for harbour water usage
  
  

• Advertisement Installation Permit
  Merged from:
  • Permit to stretch, attach, hang, and paste items on the street
  
  

• Complaints and Feedback
  Newly introduced to capture citizen feedback and complaints
  
  

With these 5 core services, citizens will no longer need to submit redundant information or face the confusion of navigating nearly identical forms.

Rapid Implementation and Training

After receiving the Council’s full service list on 17th August, the oneGov team travelled to Addu City on the 20th. 

By the 26th, two services were ready for demonstration. Within just five days of reengineering and configuration, the Council was already testing digital services live.

On 27th and 28th August, hands-on training workshops were held with staff from all the respective island councils of Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, Meedhoo, Hulhudhoo, and Feydhoo. 

The participants learned how to process real applications, tested different scenarios, and provided feedback, which was immediately incorporated into the system.

By 31st August, all five services had been approved, tested, and refined. By 1st September, the services were ready to be launched for the public by 2nd September, just in time for the official launch ceremony held in Hithadhoo.

One Council, One Window

Previously, the island councils within Addu City all operated independently. Through oneGov, they are all listed as one entity; the Addu City Council. 

Despite this, we made sure that applications are routed to the correct Town Office based on where the applicant lives. For instance, a citizen from Maradhoo can select their location and have their application be routed to the Maradhoo council where it may be then processed. 

This “one window” model makes the process seamless for citizens and more efficient for administrators.

A Collaborative Success

The transformation was made possible through close collaboration between the oneGov team and Addu City Council staff. Workshops, hands-on training, and real-time testing ensured that services were not just digitalised, but re-engineered with citizen needs in mind. 

Staff from each council participated, providing key feedback that was immediately implemented into the services.

The result of this close collaboration was that in just 11 days, the Addu City Council was able to take the first of its services completely online. 

This milestone sets a powerful example for other councils across the nation. It proves that with vision, collaboration, and the right tools, digital transformation can be delivered in days, not years.