Djibouti Forum wraps up with promising agreements, optimism about economic prospects

 

H.E. Ismail Omar Guellah, President of the Republic of Djibouti, and Dr. Slim Feriani, CEO of Fonds Souverain de Djibouti

Djibouti Forum wraps up with promising agreements, optimism about economic prospects

DJIBOUTI City, Djibouti 17th May 2024 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The inaugural Djibouti Forum brought together nearly 400 delegates, including international institutional investors collectively overseeing a staggering $2.5 trillion in assets. Describing the forum as a “resounding success”, Dr. Slim Feriani, CEO of Fonds Souverain de Djibouti (Djibouti’s sovereign wealth fund), noted that it was evident that there “is great and growing interest in Djibouti.”

The two-day forum included panels on various topics such as ports, logistics, technology, connectivity, energy, tourism, financial services, and agro-processing. Additionally, it facilitated lively discussions among leading economists, policymakers, and investors about the macroeconomic landscape in Djibouti and Africa. Speaking on the macroeconomic outlook for Africa and Djibouti, Dr. Sampawende Tapsoba, Deputy Chief Economist & Director, Data Management & Model Development, Afreximbank, acknowledged that the country of 1.12 million people was punching above its weight. “Djibouti is growing faster than many African economies and has comparatively lower levels of debt-to-GDP,” he said, emphasizing that low levels of debt meant that Djibouti has the fiscal room to meaningfully invest in transformative sectors of the economy. Charlie Robertson, Head of Macro Strategy, FIM Partners UK, delivered the closing remarks at the forum. “The three things that stood out for me in this forum are ambition, opportunity and safety,” he said. “The leadership’s ambition in Djibouti is palpable,” he observed, saying that Djibouti is a safe country that remains a beacon of stability in a volatile neighborhood. The Djibouti Forum was hosted by the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Djibouti (Fonds Souverain de Djibouti), a fund created in March 2020. It is today under the stewardship of CEO, Dr. Slim Feriani, a former Tunisian Minister with over 30 years of experience in international capital markets.