The Ministry of Cities, Local Government and Public Works has signed an agreement with Rasheed Carpentry and Construction (RCC) for the construction of council secretariats in 55 islands.

Signed on Saturday, the agreement sets construction to begin in August and be completed within 11 months. Each building will be handed over with fencing and office furniture in place.

The project was awarded to RCC following the cancellation of a contract with Malaysia’s Hextar Global, which had been signed in January this year.

Developing council secretariats is a key policy of the current Administration, which plans to implement the programme in more than 100 islands. Of these, RCC will construct 55 offices, while a further 50 are to be built with assistance from the Chinese government. Discussions were held earlier this month with a Chinese technical team to prepare feasibility studies for the buildings.

Ministry assessments show that 187 councils across the country currently face severe limitations in space and resources.