President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on Friday evening, participated in the sports festival held ahead of the Viavathi Raajje conference. The festival was held at the main beach on Ukulhas Island in the Alifu Alifu Atoll.

It was organised as an icebreaker for the conference attendees: government ministers and other senior officials; technical experts; local government officials; and the media. The festival’s activities included beach volleyball, tug-of-war, and penalty shootout. President Solih also joined in the activities.

The second edition of the Viavathi Raajje conference is held on Ukulhas Island and is aimed at local government officials from the central atolls: city council mayors, island council presidents, and presidents of Women’s Development Committees. It is the first such event to be held following the ratification of the eighth amendment to the Decentralisation Act, which authorised more fiscal and legal autonomy for local councils.

The two-day conference, hosted by the President, would feature four sessions with presentations and discussions on various topics and allow the council and WDC representatives from the central atolls to present their concerns to the President directly and discuss solutions.