By Asha Elmi - Reporter
Djibouti, 10 December 2025 – Djibouti’s Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPFZA) said on Tuesday that the 30-year concession granting Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) operational rights over Tadjourah Port, signed in October in Jeddah, is now under implementation.
Aboubaker Omar Hadi, Chairman of DPFZA, told the 7th Djibouti–Saudi Arabia Joint Commission that the port deal, building on a March 2025 memorandum of understanding, aims to develop Tadjourah into a multi-purpose terminal with an initial capacity of five million tons per year and a dedicated free zone to attract foreign investment and integrate logistics and warehousing services.
Hadi said Djibouti exported 1.9 million heads of livestock to Saudi Arabia in 2024 and highlighted shipping routes to Jazan and Jeddah. He added that the Red Sea land bridge from Dammam to Jeddah is “strategically important” for cargo and passenger transport.
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Hadi also noted that the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ) currently hosts 983 companies from 57 countries, including five Saudi firms, and encouraged more Saudi investment to strengthen trade connectivity between East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
