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DJIBOUTI-EAST AFRICA
Djibouti has unveiled a plan to become a regional hub to improve the East African region’s climate risk management capacity through the development of human resources, the promotion of climate change research and enhancing space technology capabilities.
Aboubakar Hassan, the secretary general of the Djibouti ministry of higher education and research, announced the plan in October, according to posts on X.
France is expected to be a partner in the roll-out of the plan, signalling the country’s efforts to remain one of the key players in Africa, in Djibouti in particular, which has, due to its strategic location, been attracting significant foreign investments, notably from China, in its space capabilities.
According to the Climate Change Knowledge Portal of the World Bank, Djibouti, which is located in the Horn of Africa and borders the Red Sea, is facing water scarcity due to low levels of precipitation, higher temperatures, increased aridity, and rising sea levels. These challenges are expected to continue to affect the country, making its population of one million highly vulnerable to climate change.
Developing human capital
The climate risk management plan consists of several elements, including the development of human capital in the space sector by training experts in remote sensing in collaboration with French universities, and equipping local professionals with the skills to process and analyse satellite data more effectively.
Djibouti is also set to embark on a five-year partnership with French space agency, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, or CNES, and other key French institutions to expand its space capabilities to support the nation’s efforts to integrate space technologies into its broader development agenda, focusing on sustainability and innovation.
Under the plan, Djibouti, in partnership with France, will establish a regional open ‘meeting place’ for research and innovation education on climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience in East Africa.
The Djibouti-France partnership will also form an international doctoral alliance (IDA), focused on climate adaptation, involving the ministry of higher education and research, the Centre for Studies and Research of Djibouti, and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development.
Climate change research
IDA will conduct critical research on tropical ecosystems in East Africa to enhance understanding of how to protect fragile ecosystems and develop resilience strategies against the impact of climate change.
Djibouti will deploy remote sensing technologies, prioritising satellite imagery from platforms such as Landsat, Sentinel, and SPOT satellites for gathering data to monitor environmental changes, enabling better decision-making and response strategies tailored to its specific needs.
“Monitoring poverty, hunger and health; observing education and equality trends; better understanding the effects of climate change; and protecting human rights are all made possible through the power of Earth observation, satellite imagery, and geospatial data,” confirmed a report, Satellite Data’s Role in Supporting Sustainable Development Goals.
Regional hub and observatory
Djibouti also supports the Space for Climate Observatory (SCO) international charter, which will allow the sharing of data and expertise with global partners and fostering collaboration on regional and international projects to address climate risks.
The SCO is an international initiative that was launched in 2019 to bring together the scientific community, public authorities and the business world to find solutions for mitigating and adapting the impact of climate change.
Djibouti aims to establish its regional observatory as a hub for experts, focusing on improving the region’s capacity to anticipate and manage climate-related challenges.
Moussa Mahdi Ahmed, the director of the Regional Research Observatory on Environment and Climate (Observatoire Régional de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Climat, or ORREC), in Djibouti, told University Word News: “Djibouti’s commitment to become a regional hub for climate risk management, adaptation, research and innovation is facilitated by its space programme as well as its partnerships in the SCO and other international projects along with ORREC, which addresses climate-related issues, lead research, monitor data, and support policy efforts along with coordinating and fostering regional collaboration.
“These [activities] make Djibouti a valuable partner in managing climate risks for the entire region,” he said.
Knowledge-building
Yadeta Bedasa, a researcher at Jimma University in Ethiopia, told University World News that it was necessary to overcome obstacles to expand the region’s climate risk management, such as building national and regional university education, training and research capabilities for scientific climate change knowledge-building.
An October 2024 study, ‘Sustainable development in African countries: Evidence from the impacts of education and poverty ratio’, showed “a positive correlation between higher tertiary education rates and sustainability, emphasising the importance of investing in education for sustainable development”.
Climate change awareness
“The plan is a vital step forward to deal with climate change-related problems that are affecting the people of Djibouti and the East of Africa, which is the least-developed region, the most food-insecure and [faces some of] the most difficult development challenges in the world,” said Bedasa, who is the lead author of the 2024 study, ‘Food insecurity in East Africa: An integrated strategy to address climate change impact and violence conflict’.
“To encourage public support for mitigation and adaptation policies, I suggested that Djibouti’s plan include a climate change awareness programme that addresses issues ranging from rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, to shifting weather patterns that threaten food production,” he said.
Challenges and solutions
Speaking to University World News, Hassan said challenges may include a lack of funding to successfully carry out all components of the programme and a lack of collaboration from certain state, private, and/or international actors.
“[Another challenge could be] scepticism from the population, which sometimes views space as a magic wand that can deliver everything quickly, and then becomes very critical when they realise that’s not the case and that things take time,” Hassan added.
“There is no perfect method to guarantee the success of a programme,” he stressed.
“We must start with what we have and, hopefully, create a dynamic that will improve the situation both locally and at regional level. Everything starts with education, followed by the quality of scientific and technical output, and finally, the first tangible results.
“We will put all our efforts and persuasion into bringing as many stakeholders as possible on board in this venture. The most important thing is to be passionate about what we do, but also [to be] resilient,” Hassan said.
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