The Republic of Djibouti has made considerable effort to promote the development of the ICT sector with the aim of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Last week, Minister of Communication in charge of Posts and Telecommunications, Mr. Radwan Abdillahi Bahdon, put out a televised statement on the occasion of the World Day of Telecommunications.
As part of this speech, the Minister gave updates on the progress of the development of the ICT sector, which Djibouti Telecom has played a central part in. Below are the highlights:
Regulation – Setting The Right Regularity Environment
- The establishment of a Multi-sectoral Regulatory Authority of Djibouti (ARMD); this authority was created to ensure the application of laws, regulations, and conventions relating to the Telecommunications / ICT sector.
- The digital code project: several bills have been finalized to promote the development of the sector and protect consumers.
Building Infrastructure
- The DARE1 submarine cable project which entered into service in January 2021; DARE1 is the first regional cable that connects Djibouti to Mombasa, passing through Bosaso and Mogadishu.
- The implementation of the necessary measures to accommodate the planned landing in Djibouti of 5 other latest generation submarine cables in addition to the 8 cables already operational.
- Densification and optimization of 2G, 3G and 4G mobile networks. The extension program aims to strengthen existing sites and build new sites throughout our territory.
- The modernization of national fixed networks;
- Deployment of the broadband network (FTTH) and broadband via mobile wifi in the capital and regional capitals.
- The construction of Data Centers to host national, regional and international data – our latest RAS DIKA data center will be completed later this year.
During the past 10 years, Djibouti Telecom have invested over $200 million in new Submarine Cables and Terrestrial Networks to deal with the explosion of Internet traffic in Africa, which is increasing tenfold every five years. We have already seen massive increases in adoption of services in Djibouti…
increased adoption of services
- Increased subscriptions to mobile telecommunications services rising from 489,339 in 2021 to nearly 520,000 in 2022.
- The evolution of the penetration rate of smartphones in Djibouti; more than 75% of smartphones are compatible with the 4G plus network of Djibouti Telecom.
- Explosion in the number of mobile Internet users, the daily consumption of mobile data has reached 78 TB per day.
- The success of Mobile Money, which has resulted in a growing number of subscribers in just two years. This service will revolutionize the daily life of all Djiboutians and strengthen the financial inclusion of the Djiboutian population.
- What’s more, widespread connection of our schools to the broadband network has been created to allow for digital adoption for the youth.
In conclusion, the journey to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 has well and truly started and many other projects are also underway to make the Information and Communication Technologies ecosystem a lever for the growth of other socio-economic sectors.