Written by Daniel Ooko
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
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Djibouti’s shuttle diplomacy over the last decade has begun to pay dividends. From playing the mediator in Somalia’s political turmoil, to courting full economic integration with Ethiopia, Djibouti’s relations with its Horn of Africa neighbors has been on the thaw.The country’s ties with the Arab states, notably Saudi Arabia, have led to economic cooperation following Djibouti’s effective use of the Red Sea as a transit destination. They have also been bolstered by its membership of the Arab League.
To achieve its goals, Djibouti has combined strong involvement in East African affairs, through its membership of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)—a six country regional development and security body—with its membership of the Arab League. Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia and Sudan are all IGAD members.
Djibouti President Isma’il ‘Umar Guelleh believes his country has the potential to become the region’s transport, telecommunication, and technology hub. This will happen if it can acquire the best wireless telecommunication technologies and give the population internet access.
“We need to install a secure fiber optic network to facilitate access to high speed world networks that would help us as African countries to increase our capacities to trade,” Guelleh told a recent African leader’s summit in Kigali, Rwanda.
The meeting, which outlined Djibouti’s growing interest in regional developmental issues, came amid a growing push for a continent-wide telecommunication cable running from South Africa to Djibouti, a project known as the East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy).
“We need to train our people to use wireless technologies. It is important to have users of these technologies,” he added.
Djibouti has high ambitions for developing trade and the growth of the region’s information, communication technologies (ICT). These are key issues for Djibouti’s industrial take-off to succeed in a rapidly globalizing economy.
Source: Media Line, Jan 09, 2008