Businessman, ‘Kerafaa’ Abdul Ghani dies

Prominent businessman and tourism industry veteran ‘Kerafaa’ Abdul Ghani, 86, passed away on Monday after a long illness in Bangkok, Thailand. He was accompanied by his wife and a son in Thailand.

Ghani was a co-founder of the Crown Company, a significant entity in the Maldivian tourism sector. Crown Company's portfolio includes well-known resorts such as Conrad Maldives Rangali Resort, Veligandu Island Resort, Hideaway Beach Resort, and Crown and Champa Resorts. Treetop Hospital, a leading healthcare facility in the city, is also an asset of Crown.

He collaborated with tourism pioneers Champa Hussain Afeef and Champa Mohamed Moosa (Uchchu). Ghani was also related to former President Mohamed Nasheed, being his paternal uncle, and to the mother of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s wife, Fazna Ahmed.

Alhuganduge Bodubeybe, Kerafaa Abdul Ghani akee raajjeyga electrification, tourism, vocational teaching fadha dhaairaa thakuge nuhanu bodu khidhumaiy therieh. Suvarugeyge mathiveri niumaiy minvaru kuravvaashi.

— Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) August 25, 2025

In a post on 'X', former President Nasheed noted that his uncle, Kerafaa Abdul Ghani, contributed to 'electrification, tourism, [and] vocational teaching’ in the Maldives.

An engineer specializing in mechanical and electrical design, Ghani had extensive experience in generator and panel board installation, refrigeration, and underwater electrical work in the Maldives' initial resorts. His notable contributions include the establishment of the country's first power plant and the first Vocational Training Center (VTC).