Djibouti

Balbala, located west of the City of Djibouti, is the country's biggest slum. For AFD, improving the living conditions of its inhabitants is a priority area for intervention.

With this in mind, AFD has implemented a broad range of actions : it has financed the construction of a community health center, a police station and a minibus terminal, as well as the establishment of road maintenance. The project has also expanded workshops for training women and supported community development funds (for literacy classes, prevention and education programs, training in microproject management, etc.).  

Initial results can be seen with the modernization of sector PK12, carried out between 2002 and 2007. Inspired by this success, AFD has applied the same approach to other sectors, particularly through the integrated urban development program (5.5 million euros between 2008 and 2014). Its roadmap called for the construction of social facilities, roadwork, and the implementation of a new community development fund.

Waste management is a crucial element of urban development. Several initiatives have also been carried out thanks to three-way cooperation between the Republic of Djibouti, the European Union and AFD. These include the Doudsa waste treatment plant and the industrial landfill. A pilot project for waste collection has also been set up throughout the Balbala neighborhood.

Sanitation is also a major challenge. To improve the health conditions of the inhabitants of Balbala, AFD has financed (via a European Union delegated grant) the optimization of the liquid waste treatment system.

In Djibouti, AFD has been involved in the education sector since the 2000s. It has built or renovated around 15 schools, thereby markedly improving access to primary school in rural areas. AFD is supporting the Government in developing its " Education Blueprint ", whose objective is to make education and vocational training a vector in fighting youth unemployment.

In 2005, AFD supported the " Education for All Djibouti " (EPTD) project, which included improving access and quality, providing guidance for secondary education reform and strengthening the management of the education system. France's National Education Department provided decisive support for the writing of textbooks and programs.

Signed in 2014, the Education and Vocational Training Support Project (PAEFP) put the finishing touches on secondary education reform, along with the setting up of a Djiboutian baccalauréat (2016). Technical and vocational teaching has modernized so as to better adapt the profiles of students to the needs of the Djiboutian private sector.

In Djibouti, AFD has supported renewable energies, especially geothermal power. In 2014, it committed 2.5 million euros of grants to geothermal drilling.

The greatest asset of the program is that it can diversify Djibouti's energy supply while ensuring low-carbon development. The technical and commercial viability of geothermal resources in the Assal Rift Valley will be examined.

To back up the national strategy for creation of wealth and jobs, AFD has implemented a wide range of financial instruments to support the country's private sector :

• Two million euros to support actors in international trade in Djibouti via the Trade Capacity Building Program (PRCC) and to strengthen activity by the Djibouti Chamber of Commerce in its implementation of the " Vision 2035 " development strategy. The objective is to make Djibouti the " beacon of the Red Sea ", a trade and logistical hub for East Africa.
• Proparco financed the Doraleh container terminal and unblocked its own funds so that the Bank of Africa Group could purchase Banque Indosuez.
• Djibouti Télécom benefited from several direct loans to lay underwater optic fiber cables. Djibouti should eventually become a regional telecommunications hub.
• The ARIZ guarantee fund, which targets local banks, facilitates access to investment loans by small and medium enterprises.