Italy has opened a new chapter in scientific and technological cooperation with Djibouti, combining university-level partnerships with projects to bolster protection of undersea telecommunications assets that pass through one of the world's most strategically important maritime chokepoints.
New framework for research and higher education
Italian Universities and Research Minister Anna Maria Bernini travelled to Djibouti to inaugurate a formal framework for collaboration on scientific research and higher education. The initiative is being advanced as part of Italy’s wider Mattei Plan, which seeks long-term partnerships, capacity building and sustainable development with countries across Africa.
Focus on digital infrastructure resilience
Alongside academic ties, Bernini examined Djibouti’s submarine telecommunications cable landing station and was briefed on a project led by the Med-Or Italian Foundation to strengthen Djiboutian authorities’ ability to inspect and protect subsea cables. That work follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Rome the previous month between Med-Or and Djibouti’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, establishing co-operation across critical infrastructure, digital connectivity, energy systems and strategic dialogue.
- Education and research: a new bilateral framework for universities and scientific collaboration under the Mattei Plan.
- Digital security: capacity building to inspect and safeguard submarine telecommunications infrastructure.
- Strategic cooperation: a recent MoU covering infrastructure, connectivity, energy and dialogue.
Why Djibouti matters
Djibouti’s location at the entrance to the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb corridor gives it outsized importance for global shipping and communications. The region has attracted renewed attention due to continuing instability, and the island of initiatives that combine science diplomacy with infrastructure resilience illustrates how Italy is seeking to protect both development and strategic interests.
| Area | Italian role |
|---|---|
| Higher education & research | Launch of cooperation framework led by the Universities and Research Minister |
| Subsea cable protection | Med-Or project to build inspection and protection capacity |
| Strategic dialogue | MoU between Med-Or and Djibouti’s Ministry of Economy and Finance |
The combined emphasis on education, science and infrastructure demonstrates a multifaceted approach to foreign engagement: one that merges soft-power capacity building with concrete steps to enhance resilience for assets that underpin global connectivity.
Observers tracking European engagement in the Horn of Africa will see in this mission a further sign that science diplomacy is being deployed alongside diplomatic and security tools to secure long-term partnerships in a region that links Europe, Africa and Asia.
