Day 17
Djibouti
The Republic of Djibouti signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group Limited and Touchroad International Holdings Group to develop an international commercial spaceport in the northern Obock Region of Djibouti. This serves as a preliminary agreement between the parties to build a spaceport which is expected to comprise seven satellite launch pads and three rocket testing pads. The project is estimated to cost around USD 1 billion and is expected to take five years to complete. Djibouti will provide the necessary land (minimum 10 square kilometres with a lease. The agreement provides for the final concession of the infrastructure to the Djiboutian government after 30 years of co-management. Pray that these projects will facilitate human capacity development and small satellite development. Pray for Djiboutian people to rely upon God’s providential ever-present help (The Bible, Psalm 46:1).
Source:
Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is the current President of Djibouti. He has been in office since 1999. The current Prime Minister is Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, since 2013. The Republic of Djibouti lies between Eritrea and Somalia, bordering the Gulf of Aden. Djibouti gained independence in 1977 and functioned as an authoritarian one-party state until the president stepped aside in 1999 and balanced the nation’s two main ethnic groups, the Issa of Somali origin and the Afar of Ethiopian origin. Djibouti is predominantly a Muslim nation. Ninety-seven percent of the population is Muslim, and those who leave the faith are often beaten, ostracized, and killed. Serious social and economic problems continue to plague Djiboutians, notably widespread famine, extreme unemployment, and the rising urban issues of human trafficking, prostitution, and drug abuse. The French Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches represent the only active Christian witness recognized by the government.
