In February 2025, the Republic of Djibouti scored a major diplomatic coup - its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, was elected chairperson of the African Union Commission, giving the country unprecedented visibility on the continental stage. Eight months later, the momentum continues unabated. This ambitious country of one million inhabitants now intends to project its influence into quite another area: the law and data.
It was in this spirit that Djibouti hosted the first African Gazettes Forum on 15 and 16 October, dedicated to legal governance and digital sovereignty. This unprecedented event, at the crossroads of law and digital technology, brought together 18 African delegations to discuss legal governance, institutional transparency and control of public information.
A small state with big ambitionsMost of the delegates were discovering the Republic of Djibouti for the first time. This state in the Horn of Africa is often cited as an example of political and economic stability. Known for hosting several foreign military bases, boosted by its ports and with its currency pegged to the dollar, Djibouti has enjoyed steady growth for more than 20 years and, more recently, has asserted its influence on the regional and the continental stage.