From Port to Hub: How Djibouti turned geography into power
For much of its modern history, Djibouti’s greatest asset was also its most obvious one: geography. The country sits at the entrance to the Red Sea, close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and along one of the world’s busiest maritime routes. But geography alone does not make a country a logistics power. Over the past quarter-century, Djibouti has worked to turn that advantage into something far more substantial. From Doraleh to Damerjog, and from Tadjourah to Ghoubet, it has built a network of ports, railways, roads, free zones and energy facilities designed to connect the sea with the wider Horn of Africa. The transformation reflects a strategy pursued since President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh came to power in 1999. The ambition has been straightforward: make Djibouti more than a place where cargo passes through. Make it a place where trade, logistics, energy and services converge. A quarter-century ago, that outcome was far from certain. Djibouti was largely seen as a small Horn of Africa...