Draft:Maizan Ahmed Manik

Maizan Ahmed Manik (born December 24, 1942), popularly known as Maizan Ahanmadhey, is a Maldivian engineer and entrepreneur. He is a pioneer in the wireless communications industry in the Maldives, particularly in broadcasting and radio communications.

Ahmed Manik has represented himself in both his official and personal capacities at different meetings and conferences of international bodies, including the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (ATP), and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Ahmed Manik also participated in many training programmes organised by the broadcast unions and ITU. This includes training for broadcast management organised by ABU in Malaysia as well as training in Thailand on digitalising high-power transmitters.

Public Service
On November 5, 1957, Maizan Ahmed Manik began working as kaathib no.1 (a clerk) at the Ministry of Finance. , where he was entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing a radio workshop run by the Ministry of Finance

Following structural changes in the government with the Minister of Finance's appointment as Prime Minister of the Maldives, Ahmed Manik was transferred to the Prime Minister's Office on December 18, 1958, where he continued working as a clerk. Later, on April 26, 1964, he was promoted to the position of secretary at the Prime Minister's office, where he worked on upgrading the country's broadcasting system. On September 11, 1966, he was appointed as the chief technician at the Finance Ministry, which was the body responsible for broadcasting in the country at the time.

Ahmed Manik received a government-funded scholarship in 1971 to study a one-year extensive English course in Australia, which was an opportunity given to some high-ranking officials in the government, under the Colombo Plan Programme. During the course, he also learned some administration skills. Following his return, he worked in the Telecommunications Department as a technician. Although his designation was attached to the Telecommunications Department from 1972 to 1981, Ahmed Manik's work was based at Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu, the state radio station. During his years with the Telecommunications Department, Ahmed Manik worked as a technician (1972–1978), engineer (HF) (1978–1979), and chief engineer (1979–1981).

Ahmed Manik was appointed as the chief engineer at Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu on July 25, 1981, and advanced to the position of Director of Engineering on December 12, 1989. Structural changes within the government prompted his move to the Ministry of Information and Culture in the same capacity on December 1, 1993. However, Ahmed Manik's commitment remained with Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu, which came under the structure of the Ministry.

Ahmed Manik continued serving the government until he retired in May 2008, when he was Deputy Executive Director at the Ministry of Information, Arts, and Culture. This marked the completion of his 48 years in public service. After his departure from the government, the Ministry, which was mandated with broadcasting in the country, continued to seek his advice, and Ahmed Manik served with them as a broadcasting expert until November 2008.

Expertise in the Broadcasting and Communications Sector
Ahmed Manik is Managing Director of Maizan Electronics, a business that started off as a repair shop in 1957, before specialising in marine electronics later. Ahmed Manik is also Chairman of Location Maldives, which started in 1997 to cater to radio and television broadcasting with media-related projects, advertising, and documentary productions.

Ahmed Manik was among the few people involved in the efforts to introduce the first radio signal in the Maldives on October 4, 1962.

Ahmed Manik led the project to install the first loudspeaker system on the minarets on April 10, 1964, as well as establish a sound system in Hukuru Miskiy (Maale Friday Mosque). Working at the Prime Minister's Office, Ahmed Manik was engaged with upgrading the broadcasting system in 1964. On October 30th of the year, the coin box was introduced to the Maldives. Since it was a Japanese product, the currency needed to be set to Maldivian laari. Ahmed Manik assisted in adjusting the coin box to laari and installing it. He also played a central role in developing and running the communication and beacon systems for Hulhule' Airport (now Velana International Airport).

A decade into his career, the first radio-telephone sets installed in the atolls in 1967 were Ahmed Manik's own inventions, marking another milestone in his service to the telecommunications sector in the country. The first radio-telephone set was installed in Lhaviyani Atoll.

After assuming work as a technician at the Telecommunications Department in 1971 and while being based at the national radio station, Ahmed Manik worked on various communications equipment, including CB walkie-talkies, high-power HF systems, and VHF equipment. Ahmed Manik worked in the establishment of the Telex system between India and the Maldives, which came to be known as the Bombay-Male' Link. . For this project, he underwent short-term, practical training in Bombay and Pune. He also led a project by the UNDP called the Colombo-Male' Link. He also worked in the early stages of establishing a communication network that connected the island offices and atoll offices with diverse radiocommunications equipment, as well as increasing the capacity of the telephone exchange and installing the first 20-line automatic exchange in the country. He has trained teams of technicians, providing them with the knowledge required to operate and maintain radiocommunication equipment in the country. Ahmed Manik was one of the leading engineers in the project to establish the first-ever satellite communication station in the Maldives

Ahmed Manik's company, Maizan Electronics was the first to produce an FM transmitter in the country and broadcast to the nation in 1980 through a station named MBC. When Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu took possession of the transmitter in 1982, Ahmed Manik initiated the national radio station's FM station, enabling it to begin its first FM transmissions. This locally produced transmitter was successfully in operation until December 1982, when the Australian government donated two 5 KW transmitters to Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu. As chief engineer of the station, Ahmed Manik was given the responsibility to maintain these two transmitters, as well as a 10 KW Harris transmitter later on. Ahmed Manik has contributed to the development of the station's infrastructure, capacity building, and the production of the necessary equipment at the station earned him national recognition. All the equipment and broadcasting transmitters for the station were acquired under his recommendations, and Ahmed Manik also trained the staff in using the latest technology. The current infrastructure of Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu, including the technical aspects of the main building, the masts for AM signals, and the installation of all the transmitters, was carried out under the guidance of Ahmed Manik.

Ahmed Manik has also contributed to the regularisation of cable television and the introduction of private broadcasting in the Maldives.

Contributions to the Fisheries Sector
Ahmed Manik is a founding member and Chairman of the Maldives Fishermen's Association (MFA), a non-governmental organisation established on April 8, 1993, which aims to develop the Maldivian fisheries sector by educating and incentivising local fishermen, facilitating market options, and disseminating information on new technology. The association works alongside the local fishing community to encourage growth and the development of a sustainable fishing industry in the country. The MFA seeks to empower local fishermen to play a vital role in the development of the fisheries sector through education of technological and managerial skills and increased participation at both policy and technical levels. In line with this, the MFA participates in government projects and assists policymakers by providing on-ground information from the local fishing community through consultative mechanisms. The association also works in close collaboration with international and regional fishery associations and intergovernmental bodies.

In 2014, the Maldives Fishermen's Association began publishing a newsletter, Asdhandhi, to disseminate news and information related to the fisheries sector. Furthermore, MFA introduced Fishermen's Community and Training Center, and the Young Fishers' Club, which aims to provide fisheries-related training and knowledge to fishers, school students, and other youth.

In 1971, Ahmed Manik introduced walkie-talkie systems for fishermen in the Maldives. Subsequently, Ahmed Manik began assisting fishermen in overcoming the technical difficulties they faced. As technology developed over the years, he took the initiative to familiarise local fishermen about new technology and educate them on the use of technological advancements. In 1997, he introduced the Garmin handheld GPS to the Maldives, a breakthrough in technological advancement for the Maldives' fisheries sector. The first GPS was installed on a fishing boat belonging to Mr. Ibrahim Alikoi from the island of Kandholhudhoo in Raa Atoll. He also introduced Fish finder sets in 1998, which incorporated technology aimed at finding fish schools or potential fisheries zones with real-time satellite imagery, and the CR tube chart plotter in 1999. Both were technological advancements that contributed to developing the fisheries sector and improving marine navigation in the Maldives. The Hiyvaru, a boat owned by Mr. Hussain Salif of Seenu Atoll, was the first to have a chart plotter installed, paving the way for fishermen to use them for navigation. Furthermore, Ahmed Manik introduced 40-channel CB radio sets in 1999, which replaced the handheld CB radio sets, improving communication.

Ahmed Manik also collaborated with GeoEye Inc., an American satellite imagery company, in 2004. Through this collaboration, they delivered a special training program for the identification of fishing areas via the OrbView-2 satellite (also referred to as SeaStar). This satellite collected colour images of the entire Earth's land and ocean surfaces each day. Fishing vessels were able to use the data to create fishing maps. Maizan Ahmed Manik initiated this partnership himself by reaching out to GeoEye Inc., and the two parties have continued to work together to this day. He also facilitated training programs on using the newly introduced technology for the related staff of the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture, which took place in Shanghai, China. In addition to this, he conducted a one-year program in 2004 in collaboration with the government for local fishermen to familiarise themselves with the latest technology, as well as additional training programs on fish finding and satellite software applications. Since 2013, the MFA has continued to provide these services at affordable prices to local fishermen.

With the onset of long-distance fishing, fishermen encountered dangerous incidents due to unstable communication when using CB sets and mobile phones. In 2008, Ahmed Manik's company, Maizan Electronics introduced satellite phones to overcome these difficulties. The company later provided IsatPhone Pro and Thuraya phones with Inmarsat coverage as well. In 2009, Ahmed Manik introduced GPS charts and function menus in the Dhivehi language so that they could be easily understood by locals, a breakthrough in sea travel and navigation in the country. This model was the only one that had a country-wide map and used the local language, making it one of the most preferred GPS units amongst the fishermen in the Maldives.

Ahmed Manik has contributed to numerous programs conducted by the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture to create awareness among fishermen about modern fishing technology. As such, he operated a temporary community radio station in conjunction with the celebrations for National Fishermen's Day, hosted on different islands in the Maldives. In addition, Ahmed Manik has conducted numerous awareness and information sessions on the radio, discussing sustainable fishing and the use of modern technology in fishing, and prepared leaflets and presentations to cover these topics.

Ahmed Manik played a leading role in encouraging youth in the fisheries sector in the Maldives and facilitated the first opportunity for Maldivian fishermen to gain exposure in advanced countries such as the United States.

Honours and Recognition
In 1981, the government conferred the National Award of Recognition on Ahmed Manik. in appreciation of his services to the broadcasting sector and national productivity through the introduction of FM broadcasting in the country. His other achievements include receiving the National Service Award in 1990, presented on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of Independence in the Maldives, in recognition of his contributions to national development, and the Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu Lifetime Achievement Plaque (1962–2002). Ahmed Manik received a commemorative certificate of honour in 2008 in appreciation of his 48 years of service to the country

In 2015, Ahmed Manik was awarded the National Award of Honour in recognition of his services to the development of the fisheries sector,. particularly for creating awareness and training manpower for the sector in the Maldives

Ahmed Manik was awarded a plaque by Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu in December 2005 in recognition of his voluntary initiative during the aftermath of the tsunami of December 2004, to install and maintain a temporary communication system created by Ahmed Manik for Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu, with the effort to maintain the broadcasts to keep the public informed, until the country's disrupted communication system was restored.

Ahmed Manik was bestowed the National Award for 48 years of Public Service in July 2023 for his service in the public sector.