African Development Bank Mission to Djibouti Deepens Ties, Focuses on Regional Integration and Innovative Financing
A week-long consultation mission led by the African Development Bank Group Executive Director Khaled Sherif has reaffirmed the Bank’s strong partnership with Djibouti, highlighting regional integration, innovative development financing, and capacity as key priorities for future cooperation.
The mission, conducted from 3 to 10 October, focused on accelerating project delivery, strengthening institutional capacity and optimising the Bank’s investment portfolio for greater socio-economic impact.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Sherif reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to support new initiatives During a meeting with Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Sherif reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to support new initiatives that boost private sector engagement, youth employment, and infrastructure investment. The discussions also covered ongoing and future projects in strategic sectors, including tourism, transport, energy, water, and telecommunications.
“Djibouti values its strategic partnership with the African Development Bank,” said Prime Minister Mohamed. “We look forward to deepening this collaboration to advance transformative infrastructure and sustainable growth.”
Sherif also held discussions with Djibouti’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, who also serves as the country’s governor to the Bank. The two reviewed the Bank’s current portfolio and explored ways to enhance project execution, expand access to concessional and blended financing, and reinforce institutional capacity.
“Djibouti’s natural comparative advantage lies in its coastline of rare beauty, strategically positioned at the gateway to global trade,” Sherif said, emphasising the country’s potential as a logistics and investment hub for the Horn of Africa and beyond.
He underscored the bank’s focus on developing regional value chains and expanding logistics corridors to better integrate Djibouti into the Bank’s regional programmes.
Minister Dawaleh underscored the importance of inclusive growth, stating that regional equity and spatial inclusion are fundamental to Djibouti’s development strategy.
The Bank delegation underlined environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and inclusive growth as guiding principles for future collaboration.
Beyond high-level engagements, the mission also provided a platform for policy dialogue and technical cooperation. Bank experts shared recommendations to strengthen governance, transparency, and the regulatory environment – crucial steps for attracting private investment and optimising the use of development financing.
Working sessions brought together representatives of public institutions, private sector operators, civil society organisations, and development partners – including the World Bank, the European Union, and the Tony Blair Institute. These sessions explored potential joint interventions to address national development priorities.
Technical workshops refined sectoral priorities, assessed local capacities, and set measurable implementation timelines with monitoring indicators.
The mission concluded with a joint action plan to fast-track project implementation and unlock new opportunities for investment, inclusion, and regional integration. Sherif also agreed with government counterparts to establish clear timelines for pilot projects aligned with Djibouti’s Vision 2035 and the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy (2024–2033).
