Gov’t disburses USD 59 million to fishermen to date

The government has disclosed that approximately USD 59 million has been disbursed to fishermen since President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu assumed office.

During a public forum ‘Ahaa’, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam revealed that a significant backlog of payments was outstanding to fishermen when the current administration took charge. Minister Shiyam acknowledged the challenges in swiftly addressing these overdue payments, citing the country’s economic circumstances.

Despite these challenges, Minister Shiyam emphasised the government’s commitment to expedite the disbursement process in alignment with the President’s directives. He noted that concerted efforts were made to ensure fishermen received their payments before Ramadan.

Since assuming office, the government has disbursed a total of USD 59 million to fishermen, according to Minister Shiyam. However, he also highlighted that there is still an outstanding balance of USD 1.74 million owed to fishermen. Assuring ongoing efforts to settle this remaining amount, Minister Shiyam reiterated the government’s dedication to fulfilling its financial obligations to the fishing community.