Djibouti's Geographic Position Is Its Crown Jewel

The second Djibouti Forum comes in what the apocryphal Chinese curse labels "interesting times" - an understatement for the current geopolitical chaos. But the government of Djibouti and its sovereign wealth fund, which is the organiser of the event from 6 to 8 April, should be congratulated for ignoring the outside clamour and sticking to their calendar. Whatever may be shaking the trees for the world powers, Djibouti - and by extension Africa - will go its own way for its own needs - "Africa First" if we may adapt from Mr. Trump's lexicon.

As Mohamed Ashraf Iqbal, chairman of Malaysia's WAAFI Bank and one of the most respected analysts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN area, says: "Djibouti's geographic position is its crown jewel".

Indeed, situated at the confluence of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, it overlooks one of the world's busiest sea-lanes, one that serves practically the whole world, connecting East and West, North and South. It is estimated that 30 of global goods to Europe pass here.

Iqbal sees many parallels between Djibouti and the factors that led to the emergence of Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore as major global economic forces. He sees Djibouti as the gateway to a market of over 1.5bn Africans and a series of synergies that can create a dynamic new economic nexus in the South.

No matter how the geopolitical cards fall, we can be sure of one thing: trade will remain the prime geopolitical concern. The importance of the Bab el Mandeb, the "Gate of Tears" at the entrance of the Red Sea, through which an estimated 40,000 ships pass each year, will increase, not diminish.