A week-long consultation mission led by African Development Bank Group Executive Director Khaled Sherif reaffirmed the Bank’s strong partnership with Djibouti, emphasizing regional integration, innovative financing, and capacity development as key priorities for future collaboration. Held from 3 to 10 October, the mission aimed to accelerate project delivery, strengthen institutional capacity, and optimize the Bank’s investment portfolio to enhance socio-economic impact.
During meetings with Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Sherif reiterated the Bank’s commitment to supporting initiatives that promote private sector engagement, youth employment, and infrastructure investment. Discussions also addressed ongoing and upcoming projects in tourism, transport, energy, water, and telecommunications. The Prime Minister welcomed the strengthened partnership, expressing Djibouti’s readiness to advance transformative infrastructure and sustainable growth with the Bank’s support.
Sherif also met with Minister of Economy and Finance Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, Djibouti’s governor to the Bank, to review the existing project portfolio and explore ways to improve project implementation. The discussions focused on expanding access to concessional and blended financing while reinforcing institutional capacity. Sherif highlighted Djibouti’s strategic location and potential as a logistics and investment hub for the Horn of Africa, underscoring the Bank’s intention to develop regional value chains and expand logistics corridors for deeper regional integration.
The Bank and Djiboutian authorities agreed on the importance of inclusive and regionally balanced growth, with sustainability and climate resilience as core principles guiding future cooperation. The mission also fostered dialogue between policymakers, development partners, and technical experts to strengthen governance, transparency, and the regulatory environment—key factors in attracting private investment and maximizing development finance.
Working sessions involved representatives from public institutions, the private sector, civil society, and international partners such as the World Bank, European Union, and Tony Blair Institute. These discussions identified potential joint interventions to address national priorities and refine sectoral strategies, supported by measurable implementation and monitoring frameworks.
The mission concluded with the adoption of a joint action plan to accelerate project execution and unlock new investment and regional integration opportunities. Sherif and government officials agreed on clear timelines for pilot projects aligned with Djibouti’s Vision 2035 and the African Development Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy (2024–2033), marking a renewed phase of partnership focused on sustainable, inclusive, and transformative growth.
