DJIBOUTI, March 4, 2026 — The governments of Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda have formally agreed to establish the Djibouti–Ethiopia–South Sudan–Uganda [ DESSU ] Corridor Authority, marking a significant milestone in regional integration efforts.
Signed during a ministerial session in Djibouti, the agreement sets in motion a regional framework to coordinate trade, transport and logistics across the four nations, advancing a shared vision of integrated, efficient and sustainable connectivity in the Horn of Africa.
The DESSU Corridor will link the Port of Djibouti with landlocked South Sudan and Uganda via Ethiopia, providing more efficient access to global markets. The newly created DESSU Corridor Authority will oversee the planning, investment, operations and monitoring of corridor infrastructure, with a mandate to reduce transit times and costs through digital and smart logistics systems. DESSU is among the newest regional corridors to be formalised through an inter-state agreement and builds on substantial progress already under way.
The Djibouti–Ethiopia segment has benefited from €32 million in investment financed by the European Union and delegated to Agence Française de Développement [AFD] under the Action Promoting Regional Integration in the Horn of Africa through Development of the Djibouti Corridor. The programme, implemented by TradeMark Africa, is upgrading both physical and digital infrastructure along the corridor, with the aim of cutting transit times by 50 per cent.
These developments demonstrate the region’s capacity to translate policy into practice, creating more predictable, transparent and efficient trading systems. The establishment of the DESSU Corridor Authority will consolidate these gains and provide the institutional foundation for future corridor expansion.
While current EU support focuses on the Djibouti–Ethiopia stretch, the new authority offers a platform for extending the regional vision. Planned investments in roads, dry ports and multimodal transport links between Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda will build on systems and lessons already operational between Djibouti and Ethiopia, ensuring that future phases follow a harmonised and regionally coherent model.
Officials from all four governments said the creation of a binding institution marks a shift from bilateral cooperation to unified institutional governance.
The ministers agreed that the DESSU Corridor Authority will begin operations in early 2026. Immediate priorities include establishing a secretariat, developing operational protocols and putting in place a legal framework for corridor management and performance monitoring.
The authority is being launched at a time when South Sudan is seeking to diversify its oil export transit routes. Juba has signed a complementary agreement with Djibouti to develop river and dry ports along the White Nile and is constructing a road linking Paloich in South Sudan to Pagak in Ethiopia. Collectively, these initiatives position the region as an emerging gateway for continental trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area [AfCFTA].
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Djibouti’s Minister of Infrastructure and Equipment, Hassan Houmed Ibrahim, said the agreement signalled a shift from ambition to implementation.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, Alemu Sime, described the move as a historic step towards seamless African connectivity, adding that the authority would help ensure goods and people move faster, more safely and more efficiently across borders.
South Sudan’s Minister of Transport, Madut Biar Yel, emphasised the corridor’s socio-economic benefits, saying it would open new markets for South Sudanese goods, create jobs and strengthen regional supply chains.
Uganda’s Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Katumba Wamala, said the establishment of the authority would ensure long-term cooperation and governance, accelerating regional competitiveness under the AfCFTA framework.
Eugene Torero, Regional Director for the Horn of Africa at TradeMark Africa, said the DESSU Corridor Authority reflected a long-standing regional vision in which legal frameworks, infrastructure and digital systems converge to make trade faster, cheaper and fairer.
The signing ceremony was attended by senior dignitaries, including Denisa-Elena Ionete, Ambassador of the European Union to Djibouti, and Eric de Guerpel, Director of AFD in Djibouti, underscoring international support for the establishment of the Corridor Authority.
https://thecooperator.news/eac-heads-of-state-to-convene-25th-ordinary-summit-in-arusha/
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