The Djibouti National Shipping Company (DNSC) is in the process of becoming Africa’s second shipping company after Ethiopia.
During the recent international trade fair Djibouti’s Chamber of Commerce organized the company promoted its upcoming activity to potential customers.
The country’s first shipping company formed under the Djibouti Ports and Free Zone Authority (DPFZA) is expected to begin operating this year by providing service to vessels which are leased and shipping containers. Siman Moussa, Commercial Manager of DNSC, said that in the coming year the company will begin operating with leased equipment and will expand the business using its own properties.
“Initially we will transport the consignment to regional ports from the center at Djibouti,” experts at the company said.
“We are waiting to bring the vessels to commence operation. We need to calculate how much the freight will cost. We also want to make it known that Djibouti has a shipping company,” the Commercial Manager said.
She added that the company is screening vessels to see which ones are appropriate to lease. When it begins operating the company will use ports like Jebel Ali (Dubai) followed by regional ports like Jidda, Berbera, Bossaso and other regional destinations before starting a direct route.
Another official at the company said that DNSC will work with the Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Services Enterprise (ESLSE), the only organized flag carrier on the continent.
“Owning vessels requires a high amount of capital so at first we need to commence operations by leasing,” he added.
According to the plan DNSC will start a container shuttle service this year connecting Djibouti to the region.
This makes Djibouti one of Africa’s state owned shipping operators. Ethiopia is the major state owned shipping line operator in Africa. The Ethiopian Shipping Lines, which changed to the Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Services Enterprise, is one of the oldest and lone government owned African carriers in the sector.
Most of Africa’s shipping lines are run by minor private companies or very small state owned enterprises.
The new service of Djibouti will act as a feeder for cargo destined to or originating from the region, which is transshipped to and from international long-haul services at Djibouti.
“Djibouti has multiple ports but doesn’t have a national shipping line so we need to get that done,” the DNSC expert said.
“Our main goal is work with partners,” he added.

A deal was sealed between Messebo Cement Factory Plc, a Singaporean firm, Kusto Group Pte and Fairfax Africa Fund to establish a new factory MKF Building Materials Production Plc. The partnership will be investing over USD 70 million.
The company that is to be set up will be 60 percent majority owned by Messebo while Kusto and Fairfax own 40 percent.
The agreement was signed on Thursday, January 04, 2018 between Azeb Mesfin, CEO of EFFORT (Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray), Zemedneh Nigatu, chairman of Fairfax and Hayder Gulam, general legal counsel of Kusto.
“I am hoping it will be a fruitful company since it is the first of its kind in Ethiopia and I also hope that it will not only supply the local market but also export the products to East Africa,” Azeb said during the signing ceremony.
It was also stated that MKF’s products such as roofing materials, will be used in residential housing as well as commercial real-estate and industrial buildings and will be sold in domestic and regional African market. The products will utilize the latest technology in corrosion prevention, thermal conductivity and sound reduction and will have useful lives of more than 50 years.
It was further stated that MKF will help reduce Ethiopia’s reliance of imports of certain types of building materials since it will be manufacturing the products with very high local value addition including locally sourced raw material.
“Investment in infrastructure are rapidly transforming the economic landscapes across Africa, especially in Ethiopia, one of the fastest growing economies in the world. That is why we decided to invest in MKF together with Messebo and Kusto. MKF will introduce global best practices in manufacturing and distribution and positively enhances the country’s economic transformation by creating hundreds of jobs, generating exports and saving hard currency through quality import substitutions,” said Zemedeneh Negatu, Chairman of Fairfax Africa Fund.
The factory is said to be located around Mekelle and Abi Adi in Tigray and production is expected to start within a year.

Walta Media and Communication Center, which obtained land six years ago, at an old amphitheater, located at Churchill Road, plans to build a ground plus 15-storey building at an approximate cost of half a billion birr.
The place initially belonged to Mega Arts and Advertisement Agency, before their assets were liquidated after the company suffered a financial crisis and was unable to pay its debts. As a result the court gave the property to Walta.
It took six years for the Addis Ababa City Administration to give the title deed to Walta because of bureaucratic issues.
The property is 2,600sqm and was used to show dramas, theater and musical concerts. In May 2005 the facility was destroyed by a wind storm.
Atsede Gebremeskel, Walta’s Deputy Corporate Manager told Capital that the new office plan will be one building instead of the three proposed previously.
“We need a total of 10,000sqm for the three buildings but the city administration told us that we could only have the land we requested if we paid compensation for relocating people with homes in that area and we don’t have the money to do that so we changed our plan and decided to construct one building.”
She said construction will begin during the next Ethiopian year and tender for design and construction will be posted in a few months.
She added that the current office, located near Beklo Bet will continue to be used for media work.
We are expanding and building new rooms in our current office to do extra media work. We will not construct a high rise building because the area is one of the green spots in the master plan of Addis Ababa.’’
Walta Information and Public Relations Center is affiliated with the Ethiopian government. The Tigray, Oromia, Amhara, Southern People’s Nations and Nationalities endowment companies own Walta.
Recently Walta started a satellite TV station, and the Center is also known for producing documentary films broadcasted through the Ethiopian Broadcast Corporation.

30 migrants to be repatriated from Libya
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoF) says the government of Ethiopia is ready to release political prisoners and thus create a national consensus in the country. The Ministry spokesperson added that this was an internal decision that was made without regard to outside pressure.
Capital asked Meles Alem, spokesperson for MoF, if there was any foreign pressure from the European Union, USA, Amnesty international or any other human rights organization behind their action.
“No it is not due to external pressure it is our government’s decision”, he said.
At a news conference with leaders of the four parties making up the ruling coalition, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said that some members of political parties under prosecution will be released and that those convicted will be pardoned based on an assessment “to establish a national consensus and widen the political sphere,” according to a statement released by his office.
The Maekelawi Detention Center in downtown Addis Ababa will be closed and turned into a museum, the statement added. The opposition has long demanded the closure of the prison while also calling for the release of prominent opposition figures held in detention.
The government did not disclose the list the prisoners who will be released after the PM made the statement.
The opposition parties have frequently asked the government to release opposition figures held in detention.
In his statement Meles added that Ethiopia is working with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to bring back 30 Ethiopian migrants from Libya.
‘’Our embassy in Cairo has prepared travelling documents to bring these Ethiopians and we will do the same thing to bring back more Ethiopians from Libya to save them from bad living conditions,’’ he added.
Many African migrants have been sold in modern-day slave markets in Libya, based on information from the IOM.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that there are 700,000 to one million migrants in Libya, and more than 2,000 have died at sea this year.
Most of the migrants in Libya are fleeing armed conflict, persecution or severe economic hardship in sub-Saharan Africa. Their journey usually begins with a deadly trek through vast deserts to Libya and then involves either braving the Mediterranean Sea on rickety boats headed to Europe or struggling to survive in one of the overcrowded detention centers run by smugglers on the Libyan coastline.
In a press statement the spokesperson added that the Ethiopian government opened three embassies in 2017 in Morocco, Algeria and Rwanda. This means Ethiopia has 43 embassies and 15 in Africa.