Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa is mostly French and Arabic speaking country of dry shrublands, volcanic formations and Gulf of Aden beaches.

The bi-lateral relations between India and Djibouti have existed since the ancient times. The port of Adulis was the hub of maritime trade where Indian seafarers traded in spices and silk for gold and ivory.

Given the small size and population of Djibouti, so far there has been no direct Indian investment in Djibouti by Indian companies, except for Indian owned businessmen from Dubai increasingly investing in the logistics sector of Djibouti.

The capital is Djibouti and the currency is Djiboutian franc. The official language is French and Arabic.

Important Sectors

The important sectors are Dairy, Fishing, Salt Construction and Mining.

Small & Medium Enterprises (SME)

The MSME and SMEs are important for job creation and economic growth and therefore, the Ministry of Economy and Finance are working to improve the access of finance for improvement.                                 

Industrial clusters

The East Africa Regional Border Industrial Zone for Economic Development in Djibouti have targeted the following clusters:

• Heavy manufacturing – automotive renewal, energy, carbon fiber manufacturing, chemical processing, electronics.
• Light manufacturing – food processing, medical technologies, water technologies.

India’s exports to Djibouti

Iron & steel products, paper and plastic products

India’s imports from Djibouti

Hide and skin, metals

Indian Companies in Djibouti

The oldest Indian community consists of Gujarati traders and entrepreneurs from Rajkot and Jamnagar. A number of Indians are also working in the Djibouti Port and refinery project.

Djibouti Trade & Industry organization

Trade Statistics

Trade in 2014-15, stood at US$ 239.43 million (India’s exports US $ 237.96 million and India’s imports US $ 1.47 million)

Source : Indian Embassy / MEA