Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi with Djiboutian counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh during their meeting in the presence of high ranking officials from both sides in Djiboutian. Photo courtesy of Egyptian Presidential spokesman.
According to a joint statement issued during El-Sisi's visit to Djibouti, both leaders called on the Council to hold its first meetings and begin operations as soon as possible.
El-Sisi also announced the inauguration of Banque Misr – Djibouti in the coming days, following his visit.
Additionally, El-Sisi and Guelleh praised the move as a boost to economic ties and investment, adding value to Djibouti's stable and growing banking sector.
Energy cooperation
During the press conference, President El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to supporting Djibouti in achieving energy security by sharing its expertise in the sector.
The president said, "We agreed to launch an ambitious and joint program to achieve energy security in Djibouti. "
The program includes rehabilitating Djibouti's national electricity grid and laying the foundation stone for a solar power station in the village of Omar Jagaa in the Arta region.
The two countries' electricity and energy ministries will implement the project with support from the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation and the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development.
Additional projects involve developing and expanding solar and wind power stations across Djibouti.
Port and trade development
In addition, President El-Sisi stated that both leaders agreed on the importance of encouraging investment, particularly in ports and free zones.
They discussed joint public-private projects, including a logistics centre for Egyptian companies in Djibouti's free zone, expansion of the Doraleh container port, and road studies to link the Port of Djibouti with national and regional networks—the RN18 highway project—to enhance land trade.
The presidents also praised the efforts of the two countries' transport ministries to advance cooperation in coordination with the Djiboutian Ports and Free Zones Authority and the Egyptian private sector.
They welcomed the allocation of 150,000 square metres in Djibouti's free zone for a logistics hub for Egyptian companies to support trade with Djibouti and neighbouring markets.
El-Sisi and Guelleh also stressed the need to leverage existing trade agreements, including COMESA and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), once operational, to boost bilateral trade.
Other areas of cooperation
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty with his Djiboutian counterpart Abdoulkader Houssein Omar during the signing ceremony of several MoUs and agreements.
The two presidents praised bilateral cooperation in combating terrorism and extremist ideologies, highlighting the role of the Djibouti Institute for Moderation and Al-Azhar's contribution in training imams and preachers. They welcomed the initiative to open an Al-Azhar Arabic language centre in Djibouti.
Furthermore, they expressed interest in expanding health cooperation, including the dispatch of Egyptian medical convoys. Egypt will send a convoy for early detection of hearing impairments and another to install arteriovenous fistulas for dialysis patients. Both leaders called for accelerating the activation of the Mother and Child Centre in Djibouti.
The two leaders emphasised the importance of increasing exchanges regarding youth and sports. They welcomed cooperation in developing sports facilities in Djibouti, especially upgrading Hassan Gouled Stadium to meet international standards.
They also commended efforts to ease travel between the two countries, including launching the direct EgyptAir flight between Cairo and Djibouti in July last year. They instructed officials to enhance civil aviation cooperation and regularise flights to boost people-to-people and trade ties.
Signed agreements and MoUs:
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MoU for cooperation in youth affairs
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MoU for cooperation in sports
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Executive Program in Higher Education and Scientific Research for 2025–2028
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MoU between Egypt's National Media Authority and Djibouti's Radio and Television
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MoU between Egypt's State Information Service and Djibouti's Ministry of Information
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