Browsing: Djibouti

The AfDB projects real GDP growth to accelerate to 4.1 percent in 2025 and 4.4 percent in 2026. However, Africa’s…

On Saturday, Djibouti’s Mahamoud Youssouf emerged victorious in AUC chairmanship elections, securing 33 votes in the seventh round. However, Kenya’s…

The EU is supporting efforts in the Horn of Africa that will boost regional economic integration and trade.  Djibouti’s major…

Djibouti is set to receive a $120 million loan from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in a deal targeting projects that will accelerate the country’s economic growth. 

The financing, which will go to Djibouti’s Great Horn Investment Holding (GHIH) to execute projects in the country’s Damerjog Industrial Development Free Trade Zone,  is part of a total facility amount of $155 million. The remaining $35 million will be financed through Banque pour le Commerce et l’Industrie Mer Rouge of Djibouti. 

Economic diversification beyond commerce, as defined in the Djibouti Vision 2035 plan, the government’s national development program released in 2014, would depend primarily on the country’s capacity to sustainably enhance its tourism offerings.

While President Ismael Omar Guelleh’s administration has succeeded in increasing infrastructure investment, which is critical to fostering tourism, the nation still has a long way to go in enhancing international connectivity and domestic accessibility to become a top tourist destination.

South Sudan and Djibouti have signed an MoU to lay fibre optic cable from Djibouti to South Sudan’s capital, Juba, via Ethiopia. Djibouti’s fibre optic is not the first telecommunications infrastructure that South Sudan is connecting to. In January 2020, Liquid Intelligent Technologies (LIT) announced the installation of a 200km fibre backbone to connect the Uganda border to Juba.

Authorities believe additional data capacity will enable the country to successfully implement its digital transformation strategy by making broadband internet connectivity more affordable. South Sudanese officials said the agreement would ensure that region is connected to the international community and reduce the high cost of the internet.

South Sudan’s Ministry of Information, Communication Technology and Postal Services said South Sudanese and Djibouti government officials would establish a technical committee to oversee the project.

Most Kenyans, 83 per cent, indicated a willingness to increase the amount of money they allocate to savings and investments, but the inability to save due to insufficient funds after fulfilling their obligations that require regular funding and the availability of quick digital loans.

Among their obligations which contribute to Kenyans’ financial strain is supporting their extended family which considerably bites into their savings. 84 per cent of people indicated that they regularly provide some income to their extended family, mostly in case of emergencies, because they feel a sense of obligation to send their extended families money and because their extended family members treat them better when they are sent money.

On their part, the extended family members mostly use the money to cater to recurring expenses like food & transport, school fees and medical expenses at 23 per cent, 19 per cent and 18 per cent respectively. Farm-related expenses like purchase of fertiliser ranked fourth at 14 per cent, phone and home upgrades came in fifth at 7 per cent while entertainment like Christmas celebration was sixth.

Africa has some of the most expensive mobile data services in Africa. With the increase in connectivity via smartphones, people…