For years the Horn of Africa nation
Djibouti was seen by foreign powers as a far flung military outpost overlooking
the Gulf of Aden.
Now the strategic port wants to
capitalise on its key position on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes,
the gateway to the Suez canal.
Djibouti offers an African base
across from the Arabian Peninsula at the crossroads for cargo traffic between
Asia and Europe.
It may be a tiny country of around
850,000 people, but it has a bold ambition to become the commercial hub of
eastern Africa, building on its role as the main port for landlocked Ethiopia,
Africa's second most populous country.
To achieve that the former French
colony has embarked on a series of infrastructure projects expected to cost
some $US14 billion.
Offshore from historic Djibouti
city, the waters are crowded with a mix of hulking warships, giant container
cargo vessels and the traditional wooden fishing dhows that have plied the seas
here for centuries.
But a short drive away, Chinese
workers are busy building a giant new terminal dedicated to container ships
from Asia.
Work is concentrated on the first of
six new specialised docking terminals - each one focusing on different
commodities including minerals, livestock, oil and gas - to add to the two
terminals already in operation.
"More and more shipping lines
are interested in Djibouti, we are now making the way to be a Dubai, even
Singapore," said Suleiman Ahmed, a senior executive at Doraleh container
terminal.
Cargo trade is booming.
It has increased between six and 10
per cent each year, with Djibouti enjoying growth partly because other regional
ports are struggling.
Kenya's port city of Mombasa is
already overstretched, while the secretive Red Sea state of Eritrea sees little
if any traffic.
"Mombasa is congested, Eritrea
is not a welcoming country, but Djibouti is a strategic and safe location - we
rely on it," Ahmed said.
In a volatile region, Djibouti hopes
to build a reputation of stability and security.
It hosts several foreign military
bases, including Camp Lemonnier, the US military headquarters on the continent
used for covert, anti-terror and other operations in Yemen, Somalia and
elsewhere across Africa.
France and Japan also have bases in
Djibouti, which has been used by European and other international navies as a
base in the fight against piracy from neighbouring Somalia.
Earlier this month, President Ismail
Omar Guelleh told AFP that "discussions are ongoing," with China
concerning a potential military base, saying Beijing's presence would be
"welcome".
Djibouti now wants to position
itself as the gateway for Asia into Africa.
"From Egypt to South Africa,
the eastern coast of Africa has only nine coastal countries," said
Abubaker Omar Hadi, chairman of Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority, waving
his hand over a map of the continent on the wall of his office.
"This has created 10 landlocked
countries, 400 million people who have no access to the sea. They are the ones
we want to serve."
For now, Djibouti mainly serves
Ethiopia's 94 million consumers.
As well as its massive port
expansion, Djibouti wants to add two new airports, a modern railway and build
industrial areas.
At present, the country's small
airport sees French Mirage fighter jets share its one runway with civilian
aircraft. But the government plans to replace that with an international
airport with a capacity of 1.5 million passengers annually.
A total of 14 infrastructure
projects are planned in Djibouti, mainly financed by Chinese banks.
But some are wary of such huge
investments for a country with less than a million people.
"There was no market research
and parliament was never consulted," said opposition lawmaker Doualeh
Egueh Ofleh, who said he was worried about the financial risk the projects
could pose.
"When we take the loans from
the World Bank and Western institutions, there was some control ... now with
the Chinese, we take all possible loans for all projects without any
control," he added, predicting Beijing would control the country's infrastructure
if Djibouti failed to repay its debts.
But Djibouti's government is betting
on strong African economic growth to recoup the investment.
"Even before Dubai, Singapore
and Hong Kong, the economic and maritime hubs in the region were Aden and
Djibouti," says port authority chief Abubaker Omar Hadi.
"We know what to do to regain
our place." Source ( AFP)
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