Djibouti As Never Seen

[Tallaabo]

^^ Hargeisa was a very small town during the colonial times but the city was neglected after independence by successive governments including the current one. Greed got the better of everyone and now the city is left with no space for parks or play grounds. Berbera is however more organised and planned than Hargeisa and has the potential to become the commercial capital of Somaliland.

[Somalia]

It's in Djibouti's interest that there's no Somaliland to compete with. It has the potential to become the only 'service' driven industry in the region, a Malaysia of sorts. It's a dry and resourceless land, I am glad they are developing it to this standard.

 

It should work on transportation between it and Ethiopia.

[Che -Guevara]

^Wouldn't they have to compete with Somalia then? I am assuming you think in this situation, you imagine Hargeysa coming under Xamar?

[MoonLight1]

Abu-Salman;859129 wrote:

It seems Xamar back in the 80s was as well designed if not better in terms of urban planing from a relative familiar with the 3 cities;

this is one of the biggest challenge we now face in Hargeysa as the town in colonial times was utterly neglected and nothing was planned (let alone for a major city with booming car traffic).

 

No cambaabur since ages but I guess the new Turkish biweekly transit flight to Djibouti en route to Xamar will ease travel and trade to and between both cities; we are looking forward to holidays with friends etc down South

.

The biggest obstacle to Somalia/land's proper urban planning is the land ownership, every single foot of land in cities or even the countryside is claimed by someone or a clan, in that case governments/admins can not widen roads, build parks, open spaces, car parks or public places. Until all land ownership comes back to government hands it is impossible to organize cities.

[GaraadMon]

Somalia;859185 wrote:

It's in Djibouti's interest that there's no Somaliland to compete with. It has the potential to become the

only

'service' driven industry in the region, a Malaysia of sorts. It's a dry and resourceless land, I am glad they are developing it to this standard.

 

It should work on transportation between it and Ethiopia.

They've already set up a free trade agreement with Ethiopia. East Africa is going to see a boom over the next decade:

 

Ethiopia will be analogous to Indonesia/China (in five years time, Ethiopia will have increased it's electrical production by a factor of 13). There are already large multi-million dollar light manufacturing contracts in place (i.e Shoes, clothing, cell phones etc.).

 

Somalia to Malaysia (mining/oil exploitation + large service industry + specialized manufacturing).

 

Djibouti to Singapore. Djibouti is already the bridge between East Africa and the West/East, just as Singapore is the bridge between the West and East Asia. Kenya is also booming (major oil finds and infrastructure developments as of late), and you can't discount the huge natural gas finds in Tanzania/Mozambique.

 

If corruption is tackled aggressively in East Africa over the course of the next decade, there are trillions of dollars to be made :cool:

[Somalia]

Here is a video.

 

 

 

Che -Guevara;859188 wrote:

^Wouldn't they have to compete with Somalia then? I am assuming you think in this situation, you imagine Hargeysa coming under Xamar?

I'm pretty sure Somaliland will stay in limbo for a long time, they will hinder their own progress. I think they are very happy with that situation.

[Tallaabo]

^^ Somaliland has its own plans and will take its own development path. The most important foundation in any economy is its political and legal structure and Somaliland is developing in this regard much better than most of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. With solid democratic and legal foundations, Somaliland can only get more confidence from the international investors and governments who dislike the slightest hint of instability. History is littered with examples of nations who spent much time and effort on economic development without addressing the socio-political foundations to support it inevitably resulting in total failure and a restart from scratch. The erstwhile Somali Republic is a fitting example of this case.

With the current pace of social, economic, political, and judicial progress by Somaliland without even having the benefits of international recognition, one can only conclude that an internationally recognised Somaliland is the most likely candidate to become Africa's Switzerland.

[raula]

AbuS..i heard recently that there was a fire that consumed almost xafaad/perhaps a block..due to some electrical wiring mishap or over-consumption..?

[Abu-Salman]

I don't believe in Djibouti competing directly with Somaliland even if we assume competition to be negative (and brush aside the fact of ports and corridors upgrades taking decades); their ports serve different areas and even countries with booming demands (eg, North Ethiopia or S. Sudan are better served by Djibouti); still, all those regional infrastructures are complementary (Zeyla area is almost adjacent to Djib city while parts of Somaliland should trade via Bossaso etc).

 

Let's not forget also that families span accross the borders; much of the reconstruction, public services and investments in Hargeysa and nearby are due to those links, while Djibouti was always a safe haven and base for Northern traders.

 

Last but not least, one can not thrive in isolation and Switzerland, Dubai or Singapore are all surrounded by major exporters, stable economies.

 

 

PS: Raula, few "temporary" dwellings in some "quartiers" may catch fire during the summer khamsin wind; it's seldom an issue outside of it. Else, thanks guys but the pics are not mine: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=3339.

[Abu-Salman]

Turkish Airlines inaugurates service to Djibouti...

 

Turkish Airlines' network continues to expand with the addition of Djibouti. Our flights began on September 4th, operating Istanbul--Djibouti--Mogadishu--Djibouti--Istanbul, operating from Istanbul twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the return from Djibouti on Wednesdays and Fridays. Introductory fares from 593 Euros are available for a limited time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nin-Yaaban]

I know where i am going markuu iIahay Iacag isiiyo.

[Abu-Salman]

Having been just reading a report on FDI growth in Africa, including intra-African investment, it is interesting to witness the local flurry of projects in S. Sudan pipeline and connections, new additions to the already developed Telecoms system which classify Djibouti as one of the top African hubs redelivering services to the entire region along Nigeria and S. Africa (connecting Somaliland through fiber optics, Puntland operators via microwaves etc) etc:

 

 

"Yesterday, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery Resources responsible for marine resources announced the signing of a partnership agreement with an Algerian industrial group specializing in the agri-food sector (turnover of $4 billions). The Cevital group, based in Dubai, which committed to invest $50 million in fishing infrastructure in a first phase, expects to export part of the production." (La Nation)

 

 

Its local partner, Red Sea Fishing (redseafishingdjibouti.com, turnover of $3,6 millions) was on local news for starting local boat manufacturing; a major upgrade in produced boats is expected.

It recently welcomed a Sri Lankan fleet due to fish in Somaliland (a fishing cooperation was signed between Djibouti and Hargeysa), while already exporting marine products to the region.

[Abu-Salman]

Apart from new regional fully equipped hospitals and the health system reforms noted by the WHO (training and support from Cubans etc), the huge energy and water schemes are well underway too with gradual, marked reductions in tariffs; electricity costs have been already been lowered by a third after the interconnection to cheap Ethio hydropower; water links are underway too albeit the huge geothermal potential, wind, desalination and other alternatives are concurrently developed to avert dependence (Telecoms prices have dropped by 80% simultaneously):

 

"The government of Djibouti has already given the green light to one such project, reaching agreement for a $20m programme with the Global Environment Facility, World Bank and OPEC. The development phase will be in the form of a public private partnership. The drilling of exploratory and production wells is scheduled to be completed by 2013 with generation capacity of 56MW coming on stream by 2018.[...]

Early next year, a €35m desalination plant and an adjoining windfarm supplying 20MW, will begin construction with a view to completing by the end of 2014. There is also a 62MW wind farm being proposed for the Ghoubet region. By 2018, Djibouti has the ambition to be one of the first countries in the world to have 100% of its electricity consumption from renewable energy." (source)

 

 

Toyota bid for the pipeline, a railway system and fiber optics cable line to stretch between Juba and Djibouti via Ethiopia:

 

It is expected that a detailed feasibility study will be completed in the coming few months and the construction will begin within six months. The initial study had estimated that the construction of the pipeline will be completed within 3 months for 3 billion US dollars.Source: Capital

 

 

Doraleh Refinery: Swiss Darlen Development Limited.

 

"In addition to Dr. Fouad, many other dignitaries including Mr. Aboubaker Omar Hadi, chairman of the Ports Authority and zones, APZF and Djibouti's Ambassador in Geneva, Mr. Mohamed Ziad Doualeh, participated in this meeting which identified the contours of the project.[...]

These refined products are designed to meet the needs of Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan and any other demand, especially in Africa.

Hadi said that Djibouti was more than forty years the fifth bunkering port in the world.

"That place, which we lost in 1967, we will regain it," he said. (La Nation)

 

 

Islamic Banking Summit: Africa (IBSA 2012) to be held in Djibouti

 

"The on-going shift by African countries from being aid-dependant to increasing trade and investment ties with the Middle East, Islamic finance is set to play a key role in facilitating more trade and investment flows between Africa and the Middle East. Increased interest from Gulf investors in terms of agricultural land acquisitions and the mergers and acquisitions of financial institutions, as well as a growing Asian investor base, particularly in manufacturing and project finance, is expected to grow the African economy significantly."

 

(shift from regional banking hub to an Islamic banking hub with ultra stable monetary environment and local currency pegged to the US dollar).

[Abu-Salman]

It seems the owner of local Inchcape Shipping Services & Cie, DHL franchise, Hargeysa Coca Cola plant etc, Ahmed Osman Guelleh is behind and managing director of this latest big brand:

 

The importance of managing the flow of information between all business functions inside the boundaries of an organisation, especially one operating on a multinational scale, is a differentiating factor that sets operators apart from their competitors.

GSK Group is one such company that has embraced the advantages that a full-fledged enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can provide. “We needed a system that is able to consolidate and standardise the company's monthly reporting structure, especially from a financial and budgeting perspective,” says Piet Engelbrecht, Financial Director at GSK Group of Companies

GSK Group is a Djibouti-owned and run company that has grown to become one of the major players in the country, in a very short space of time. The group comprises 13 different companies that each specialises in specific disciplines. These include construction, multimedia, travel, shipping, surveying, ship chandling, logistics, manufacturing, general trading and courier services. (source)

 

GSK Group

 

A $17m bottling plant in Somaliland is the biggest private investment in a country that desperately needs foreign funds

"The investment was put up entirely by SBI, part of the OGF group, a conglomerate with interests in shipping, construction and property founded in 1949 by Osman Guelle Farah in Djibouti, where he used traditional routes to ferry goods between Djibouti and the Ethiopian town of Dire Dawa."(The Guardian)

 

"OGF group’s turnover has reached 15 million US dollars. An unprecedented growth of 30% in the 5 years to 2006. We anticipate this rate of growth to forge ahead in the next 5 years to beyond 20 million US dollars." The OGF group (Hargeysa Edna Aden's Hospital partner).

[Abwaan]

Djibouti way dhaqaaqday. Anigu gegida diyaaradaha maba dhaafin, meesha kulaylkeedana lagama sheekayn karo.