Parliament to Summon Tradenet Officials Over Limited Adoption of OneGov Platform

A parliamentary committee is set to summon senior officials from Tradenet Maldives to address concerns about the limited adoption of the OneGov platform by government institutions. The platform, developed as a national single window initiative, was launched in 2023 to centralise and digitise government services.

The issue was raised by North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu) of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), who expressed concern in a letter to Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla. MP Mohamed Ibrahim highlighted that only 14 government institutions, including six of the 21 ministries, had joined OneGov by the end of 2024, despite significant investment in the platform.

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The institutions that have adopted the platform include the Housing Ministry, Homeland Security Ministry, Tourism Ministry, Economic Ministry, Education Ministry, and Defence Ministry, along with agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and Fuvahmulah City Council. However, many essential service providers remain absent from the system.

MP Mohamed Ibrahim criticised Tradenet for insufficient efforts to encourage wider adoption of the platform, pointing out that several government institutions have continued to develop independent digital platforms. He described this as a misuse of taxpayer money, raising risks of inefficiency, duplication of effort, and potential corruption.

“Institutional fragmentation in digitalisation efforts undermines the state’s ability to derive clear benefits from the resources allocated for this purpose,” MP Mohamed Ibrahim stated in his letter.

He further noted that some of these independently developed platforms require frequent upgrades due to performance issues, adding to operational costs. Kudu urged the Committee on Government Oversight to investigate whether OneGov faces technical or administrative challenges preventing broader integration.

Tradenet, established in 2019 during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration, was intended to spearhead the country’s digital transformation. However, questions about its effectiveness in achieving its objectives have grown louder with the limited participation of state entities.

The parliamentary committee’s session will explore the reasons behind the reluctance of institutions to join OneGov and assess measures to address these challenges, aiming to streamline government service delivery through a unified platform.