• A delegation from the Digital Cooperation Organization visited Djibouti earlier this week, meeting government and non-government entities to discuss key initiatives and explore areas of potential collaboration
  • The DCO Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya met with Djibouti’s Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss opportunities for advancing their digital transformation agenda
  • During the trip, DCO Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya, also met with several leaders from private sector companies to discuss challenges, investments, and economic goals

Djibouti, Djibouti: The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) concluded its first visit to the member state, the Republic of Djibouti, earlier this week, where the DCO delegation led by the Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya held several bilateral meetings with government and non-government entities, startups, and university students in the country. Include the names and titles of the members of delegation.

The DCO delegation met with key government representatives, including H.E. Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Djibouti’s Prime Minister; H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; H.E. Mariam Hamadou Ali, the Minister of Digital Economy and Innovation, Mr. Abdi Ilmi Achkir, the President of Multisectoral Regulatory Authority of Djibouti (ARMD) and Mr. Slim Feriani, the CEO of the Djibouti Sovereign Fund and Chairman of Djibouti Telecom and Mr. Mohammed Bouh, Managing Director of Djibouti Telecom. Among the key discussions during these meetings were an overview of Djibouti’s digital economy and innovation ecosystem and strategic plans and the country’s Vision 2035. The Delegation also visited the Haramous Cable Landing Station, a subsidiary of Djibouti Telecom.

The DCO delegation also met with senior representatives from non-government entities, including Dr. Djama Mohmed Hassan, President of the University of Djibouti; and Hasna Houmed Bilil, the Vice President of The National Union of Djiboutian Women (UNFD). There was also a visit to D-Money, Djibouti's first mobile money company. The meetings focused on connectivity and infrastructure challenges in Djibouti, attracting investments, economic empowerment of women and modernizing regulations. Add meeting with Dr. Osman Babikir, Director of Economic Development and Regional Cooperation, IGAD.

Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the DCO, said that as an international, multilateral organization representing 11 member nations, such visits are essential for the promotion of digital prosperity for all. She said, “By its nature, the digital economy is highly international and borderless. For any country to reach its full potential, it must work in partnership with others. However, global governance has not kept pace with economic development. Regulations are increasingly splintering rather than cohering around common standards. Barriers to cross-border digital activity are being erected rather than lowered. This is why these visits to Djibouti and other DCO Member States are vital towards achieving our goal of bridging the digital divide. It is essential that organizations who can influence the digital field come together and proactively cooperate with each other to face challenges and bring down barriers.”  

During the visit, Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the DCO, also delivered a speech to engineering students at The University of Djibouti where she motivated students to pursue training in the new ICT technologies and aspire to export their future innovations to the region, raise awareness of the African region’s challenges in the digital field, the role of the DCO, and the opportunities they can leverage for the future. In addition, the speech highlighted challenges the students may face in the digital field and the opportunities available for entrepreneurs in the digital economy. The Secretary-General also shed light on the importance of social inclusivity and women empowerment for the achievement of digital prosperity.

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About DCO

The DCO is a global multilateral organization founded in November 2020 that aims to enable digital prosperity for all by accelerating the inclusive growth of the digital economy. The DCO brings together the Ministries of Communications and IT of 11 nations – Bahrain, Cyprus, Djibouti, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Jordan, Rwanda and Saudi Arabia – that collectively represent nearly $2 trillion in GDP and a market of nearly 600 billion people, more than 70% of whom are under the age of 35.

The DCO is focused on empowering youth, women and entrepreneurs, leveraging the accelerative power of the digital economy and leapfrogging with innovation to drive economic growth and increase social prosperity. Through cooperation, dialogue and the creation of mutually advantageous cross-border legislation, we seek to establish within our member nations the optimal infrastructure and policies for the rapid creation of inclusive and equitable digital economies within which all people, businesses and societies can innovate and thrive.

In pursuit of our members’ common interests - for example, in the areas of digital skills training, data protection, intellectual copyright, regulation, taxation and entrepreneurship - DCO works collaboratively with governments, the private sector, international organizations, NGOs and civil society to enable more inclusive digital transformation and the growth of digital industries.

The DCO’s key initiatives include programs to enhance cross-border data flows, promote market expansion for SMEs, empower digital entrepreneurs and advance digital inclusion among women and youth and other underrepresented populations.

More information about DCO can be found at www.dco.org, https://twitter.com/dcorg and https://www.linkedin.com/company/dcorg/