After a three-month delay, ministers from Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda signed an agreement to establish the Djibouti–Ethiopia–South Sudan–Uganda (DESSU) Corridor Authority. This marks a major milestone in East African regional integration. The signing took place on February 14, 2026, in Djibouti City.
The signing ceremony occurred at the Palace Kempinski Hotel in Djibouti City, attended by transport ministers from the four countries, diplomats, and development partners. An earlier meeting scheduled for November in Ethiopia was canceled due to the unexpected absence of representatives from one member nation.
The new authority formalizes a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed last year, turning the corridor concept into a concrete institution. Officials described it as a strategic shift poised to bring economic and logistical gains through enhanced cross-border links and trade facilitation.
At the event, Djibouti's Minister of Infrastructure and Equipment, Hassan Houmed, noted that the initiative supports African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) objectives and bolsters the bloc's role in bodies like IGAD and COMESA. “We are not merely building roads; we are building peace through economic interdependence,” Houmed said. He affirmed his government's dedication to positioning the DESSU Corridor as “a global success and a model of regional integration for the entire African continent.”
Ethiopia's Minister of Transport and Logistics, Alemu Sime, portrayed the corridor as a shared goal for creating a fluid trade network in the Horn of Africa. “As a land-linked nation, Ethiopia embraces its role as a connector linking our neighbors, South Sudan and Uganda, to the sea through the ports of Djibouti,” Sime stated.
Aboubaker Omar Hadi, Chairman of the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority, elaborated on the project's breadth, calling the DESSU Corridor an “integrated economic system” aimed at connecting landlocked nations to the Red Sea. He detailed a seamless logistics chain from the Port of Djibouti to inland hubs including Addis Ababa, Jimma, Boma, Kapoeta, Nimule, Gulu, and Kampala. Hadi emphasized that the economic effects would be “direct and quantifiable,” with the corridor set to lower logistics costs, cut transit times, and enhance supply chain reliability. “These efficiencies will translate into stronger export competitiveness, increased trade volumes, industrial development, job creation, and sustained GDP growth across the four countries,” he added.
