By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
DJIBOUTI, 6 October 2026 Djibouti has asked France to help train a new generation of nuclear professionals as it prepares to add civil nuclear power to its energy mix alongside geothermal energy.
The request was made Monday when Energy Minister Dr. Djama Mohamed Hassan received French Ambassador to Djibouti Jérôme Bresson, according to a statement from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources published by the Djiboutian News Agency (ADI).
The two officials reviewed the main areas of energy cooperation and discussed opportunities for major new projects, the ministry said.
The minister presented two top priorities. The first is human development: training young Djiboutian engineers and technicians in nuclear technologies and related trades, so the country has a skilled workforce to operate its future small modular reactors (SMRs).
The second is rural electrification: connecting villages on the outskirts of the capital and around regional towns to the national grid to boost local economies, while continuing to bring solar power to the most isolated communities in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD).
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Dr. Djama Mohamed Hassan said the national energy policy aims for energy sovereignty and universal access to electricity, ADI reported. He stressed the need for stable, continuous baseload power built on a combination of geothermal and civil nuclear energy to support private-sector growth, encourage small industrial processing units and create jobs for young people.
The ambassador noted that Djibouti's training request comes as France itself is relaunching its civil nuclear sector, according to ADI.
The ministry's statement said Bresson announced that a Francophonie economic mission, including four French small and medium-sized enterprises specialising in energy, will soon visit Djibouti. He reaffirmed France's commitment to supporting the country's energy transition through technical assistance, financing for major projects and skills transfer.
According to the ministry, the talks also covered other major projects, including construction of a new thermal power plant at Damerjog, a solar project at Grand Bara, the expansion of geothermal energy, and green hydrogen opportunities in the Obock region.
Also present at the meeting, according to ADI, were Aziz Madkouk, economic diplomacy attaché at the French Embassy in Djibouti, and Mahdi Waberi Hassan, the minister's principal technical adviser.