DJIBOUTI, 21 October 2026 (#ADI) – The Government of Djibouti intends to “go further and faster” in the reform of public procurement, with greater transparency, digitality and space for small businesses. He announced it at the opening of the National Colloquium on Public Order on Wednesday.
Before the Secretary General of the Government, the Ministers, the Governor of the Central Bank, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and representatives of the private sector, banks and civil society, the interim Prime Minister, Ali Hassan Bahdon, recalled the importance of the State in the economy. “The state is not an economic actor among others: it is one of the very first. He invests, builds, equips, buys,” he said.
The public order “is not just an administrative procedure,” he insisted. It is “a lever for development”, capable of training skills and structuring sectors. In a context of constrained resources, “we do not have the right to waste,” he added: a poorly planned market delays services to citizens, a low-competitive market costs the state more, an opaque market undermines confidence.
Figures
Mr. Ali Hassan Bahdon highlighted several advances. The regulatory framework has been strengthened. The Dispute Resolution Committee is operational. A general certificate guarantees the tax and social regularity of tenderers. The average auction time increased from 35 days in 2021 to 26 days in 2023. In 2024, more than 71 per cent of public procurement was awarded to Djiboutian companies.
These results are “encouraging”, but insufficient, he said. According to the National Public Order Strategy 2030, which is part of the Djibouti Vision 2035, it must produce a “performing and open” order.
Youth and SMEs at the centre
” Djibouti’s youth must find their full place in his country’s economy,” said the Acting Prime Minister. The measures announced are the allocation of contracts, requirements adapted to small structures, the support of first-time bidders and the reduction of payment deadlines. They aim to make public procurement “a veritable springboard for national entrepreneurship”.
A draft decree on bank guarantees, which the government is due to consider shortly, will lay down rules that it has said “clear, predictable and fair”. It must protect public funds while ensuring that all companies have fair access to government markets.
Transparency and accountability
The authorities promise to generalize the dematerialization of procedures. They also include an Official Procurement Announcement Bulletin and an open data portal. Procurement below the procurement thresholds will be monitored and an annual report on the use of public resources will be published. “There is no development without confidence and no trust without transparency,” said Mr. Ali Hassan Bahdon.
Speaking to the private sector, he said the state is “not only your client, but your partner”, waiting in return for quality, timeliness and integrity. It is committed to providing stable rules, fair competition and timely payments.
The government expects the colloquium of “concrete proposals” that it undertakes to consider and translate into decisions. “The public order is the mirror of the state,” concluded the interim Prime Minister, before declaring the works open.
Finally, the event is organized by the General Secretariat of the Government, which chairs the National Commission on Public Procurement (CNMP).
