By Asha Elmi - Reporter
DJIBOUTI, 6 October 2026 Djibouti hosted an economic forum on Tuesday attended by more than 166 foreign companies, the Djiboutian news agency ADI reported.
The forum, the seventh edition of the International Organisation of La Francophonie’s (OIF) economic missions, also brought together around 150 Djiboutian companies.
President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh urged investors to capitalise on the country’s strategic location and opportunities across five sectors. He said Djibouti aimed to become a regional economic hub, pointing to its ports, free trade zones, railway connection with Ethiopia and undersea telecommunications cables.
“My country is a bridge between continents,” he said.
Guelleh said Djibouti and the OIF had identified five priority sectors: logistics and free trade zones, digital technology, renewable energy, health and sustainable tourism. He cited the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ), the Damerjog industrial project, the Goubet wind farm and Al-Shifa hospital as examples.
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He said the government had begun reforms to simplify procedures and improve support for investors and had instructed officials to ensure structured follow-up on each agreement signed during the event.
“We will not judge this mission by the number of business cards exchanged, but by the number of projects implemented in Djibouti,” he said.
Addressing tensions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Guelleh argued that the disruption was temporary and that the route’s geographical importance would endure.
Launched in 2022, the OIF’s economic missions bring together businesses in member countries to promote trade, economic integration and skills transfer, with a focus on youth employment, renewable energy and digital technology.