First Meeting of the Joint Transport Steering Committee on Türkiye–Africa Transport Connectivity Held in Djibouti

First Meeting of the Joint Transport Steering Committee on Türkiye–Africa Transport Connectivity Held in Djibouti

First Meeting of the Joint Transport Steering Committee on Türkiye–Africa Transport Connectivity Held in Djibouti

Event / March 01, 2026

The Minister of Transport of Djibouti H.E Hassan Houmed opened the first meeting of the Joint Transport Steering Committee (JTSC) on Türkiye–Africa Transport Connectivity in the presence of the Ambassador of Djibouti in Turkiye H.E Aden Houssein, the Ambassador of Turkiye in Djibouti H.E Sabri Ergen and Chairman of Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority Aboubaker Omar Hadi.

This meeting is the outcome of the Memorandum of Understanding signed last year between Republic of Djibouti, Federal Republic of Somalia, Republic of Ghana, Republic of Liberia, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Republic of the Congo, Republic of Guinea. It represents an important step toward strengthening transport connectivity, with a direct impact on trade flows and the economies of the countries concerned.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Mr. Hassan Houmed Ibrahim, Minister of Transport and Equipment of Djibouti, emphasized that strengthening road and rail infrastructure connected to ports is essential to facilitating access for landlocked countries. His Excellency underlined that by improving connectivity and modernizing procedures, costs will be reduced, competitiveness enhanced, and to fully unleash the trade potential of the region.

In his address, Chairman highlighted Djibouti’s vision as a strategic hub for regional integration and maritime trade. Chairman stressed that opportunities for collaboration between Djibouti, Türkiye, and Africa are numerous and promising, and that together we can develop resilient and innovative logistics corridors serving trade and African integration. Chairman reaffirmed Djibouti’s commitment to working closely with Türkiye and African partners to build an exemplary logistics and maritime hub for the benefit of our economies and the continent as a whole.

Mr. Burak Aykan,  General Director for EU and Foreign Relations at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Türkiye, stated in his speech that today’s workshop serves as a platform to evaluate opportunities for identifying and developing the most efficient transport routes between Türkiye, a global trade crossroads, and Africa, an emerging market with significant natural resources and a strategic geographic position.

This two-day event brings together stakeholders, financial institutions, and private sector representatives. Discussions will focus on key transport sector themes, including inland access and multimodal chains, documentation and digitalization, partnerships, market access, and cooperation models.