Digital governance, seen from a small island.
A perspective shaped by the Maldives, where building digital government meets questions of sovereignty, public value and the right of smaller nations to shape their own digital futures.
Ideas from the islands.
Most of the world's digital policy is written for large countries. Small island states inherit it, then work out what to do with it.
My work starts from the other end. Low-resource island nations face the same technology as everyone else, with thinner institutions, smaller markets and dispersed populations. That changes what good governance looks like. I write, advise and teach to make sure those conditions are part of the conversation.
Small states are not small mainlands
Rules designed for large states often overlook the institutional and geographical realities of smaller countries. Island nations offer a useful test of whether global technology governance frameworks can work in practice.
- PaperThe Amplified Sovereignty Paradox · 2026
- ArticleThe real test of AI governance isn't in Brussels; it's in the world's small island states · GovInsider, 21 Jul 2026
Digital citizenship must preserve choice
Digital identity should expand people's choices, not quietly narrow them. Adoption alone cannot tell us whether participation is meaningful or consent is genuine.
- PaperCitizen-as-a-Platform · 2026
- ArticleDigital consent is breaking down: governments need a new model · GovInsider, 11 May 2026
Governing AI without inheriting someone else's rulebook
Global AI principles matter, but implementation must account for local capacity, institutions and legal safeguards. Governance should be adapted deliberately, rather than imported unchanged.
- PaperGoverning What Principles Cannot · presented August 2026, awaiting publication
- ArticleArchitecting AI Governance for Small States: Why Resilience Trumps Velocity · aiecosystem.mv, 19 Dec 2025
- SessionShape, Don't Inherit · World AI Regulation Summit, London, 5 Nov 2026
Networks, identity and plans.
- 2025 – 2026At Nexia Maldives
National Development Plan for the Maldives, 2025–2045 · Ministry of Finance and Planning
Led the development of the digital chapter, and supported the digital plans of other sectors.
- 2019 – 2023As Permanent Secretary and Minister of State
eFaas national digital identity
Led its growth from a single government login into the national digital identity, used by over 195,000 people.
- 2021As Permanent Secretary and Minister of State
Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway Action Plan 2022–2026 · UN ESCAP
Chaired the drafting group. It was the first action plan adopted by consensus.
- 2005 – 2008At the National Centre for Information Technology
Government Network of Maldives
Led its establishment, connecting government offices in Malé and 20 atoll capitals.
On the page and on the stage.
Research
Writing
Stage
News coverage and official releases are listed on the About page.
A life in coordinates, from a small island.
Where I studied, worked, researched and spoke, plotted from the Maldives outward. 3 places called home and 42 places on the map, from Washington DC to Brisbane.