Djibouti loses central Port figure

The government of Djibouti announced the death of one of its highest public official, emblematic figure of the port community Saad Omar Guelleh General Manager of Port de Djibouti S.A (PDSA) and the younger brother of the President of the Republic of Djibouti, Ismael Omar Guelleh.
Saad passed away on October 7, 2019, while he was receiving medical treatment in Paris, France.
His passing away has provoked a strong collective emotion and an immense feeling of great sorrow.
The late Saad Omar Guelleh was well known among port professionals. “This great government official was essential in the conduct and management of one of our flagship development structures, the Port” reads a statement from the PDSA.
“It is with great sadness that we heard the passing of our staunch supporter, Saad Omar Guelleh, Director General of Port of Djibouti. We would like to convey our deepest and most sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Saad, to our partners of the Port community and to the people of Djibouti,” reads a statement from Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Services Enterprise.
The late Saad Omar Guelleh was 69 years old. Many of his associates were inspired by him because of his professional dedication, his character and the vast skills he acquired during his long career.
“He never counted the sacrifices that he made to acquire all the knowledge essential to the mastery of work related to his field. He taught himself and was passionate about learning. He went to the North Sea to learn the skills and climbed the ladder of the management of Port to the position of General Manager,” further reads a message from his colleagues.
In a 2017 interview with Capital, Saad said “because our country is strategically located we have been able to rise to the challenge of making the port of Djibouti a regional hub for the Red Sea and Indian Ocean…”
He said that Djibouti will transform its ports into global competitive platforms for international trade and that its vision is to be a center of excellence and performance in regional maritime transport and logistics.