Building Strong Public-Private Partnerships in Djibouti

and a new unit to manage them

Djibouti's economy has historically benefitted from its strategic location, but despite recent economic growth, poverty remains the country’s most compelling development challenge. Aiming to reduce it, Djibouti’s government launched Vision 2035, an ambitious strategy to transform the republic into an international and regional economic power capable of securing Djiboutians’ wellbeing in a peaceful, safe and clean country.

The Government of Djibouti has recognised the leading role of the private sector in diversifying and improving the competitiveness of the Djiboutian economy, and Public-Private Partnerships, or PPPs, were thus regarded as one of the top avenues for developing and managing the country's infrastructure and public services. However, in the absence of effective legislation to govern PPPs, the potential long-terms risks of entering into these partnerships could easily outweigh the benefits.

Since the start of the Oxford Policy Fellowship in 2015, three OPF Fellows from the United Kingdom, Belgium and India have been contributing towards the set-up of Djibouti’s PPP Unit.