Djibouti dam financed by Turkish gov’t completed

The construction of the Ambouli Friendship Dam in Djibouti is largely completed, Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said in a statement.

The main body of the dam, built under a deal signed between Turkey and Djibouti in 2014 on cooperation on water, concluded its construction and the dam is ready to hold water now.

The dam will serve to curb floods hitting Djibouti, the capital of the country where 75% of the population lives, it was built on the eponymous river. The construction of the 71-meter high dam started in 2017, built by the ministry’s State Hydraulic Works agency, it will help store water for irrigation in the arid country which mostly depends on food imports from neighboring Ethiopia.

Despite its arid climate, Djibouti is exposed to floods when downpours hit the highlands surrounding the capital. The dam has a stock volume of 14 million cubic meters.

As part of its “Africa opening” that has seen closer relations with African countries under the tenure of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey has been boosting bilateral relations with Djibouti, which gained momentum after 2012 when the Djibouti Embassy in Turkey was established.

To further boost bilateral ties, Turkish Airlines has had direct flights between the two countries since 2012, while TİKA inaugurated an office in the country in 2012, too, carrying out numerous projects. So far, 60 protocols, memorandums of understanding and conventions have been signed in areas such as energy, health and the economy. Djibouti has also allocated 5 million square meters to Turkey to establish special economic zones.