A ceremony was held in Djibouti on July 19 to install the commission that is to handle the partial privatization of Djibouti Telecom, chaired by Finance Minister Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, assisted by Budget and Communication Minister Isman Ibrahim Robleh and Telecommunications Minister Radwan Abdillahi Bahdon. President Ismail Omar Guelleh’s economic adviser Mohamed Assoweh Bouh, who also serves as director of the Djibouti Sovereign Wealth Fund and general manager of Djibouti Telecom (https://www.lanation.dj/reunion-au-palais-du-peuple-de-la-commission-en-charge-de-la-privatisation-de-djibouti-telecom/), also attended the meeting.
Finance Minister Dawaleh outlined the purpose of the operation and how it will be managed, insisting on the need to ensure the regularity and transparency of the privatization process, as well as ensure with the partial privatization an adequate financial capacity for the development of the company.
According to reports in Africa Intelligence magazine, the appointment of Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh to head the privatization committee has aroused astonishment in the country in light of the less than excellent trust relations between the president and the finance minister, who is reportedly considered by Guelleh to be overly politically ambitious (https://www.africaintelligence.fr/afrique-est-et-corne/2022/07/22/vente-de-djibouti-telecom–le-cadeau-en-trompe-l-oeil-d-iog-a-son-ministre-des-finances,109800591-art).
However, the commission would be heavily controlled by the president’s key political allies, who would be tasked with overseeing the partial privatization program by reporting directly to the presidential palace.
