ARMD strengthens its expertise through an immersion mission with Morocco's ANRT and France's ARCEP
From July 6 to 10, 2026, a delegation from the Djibouti Multisectoral Regulatory Authority (ARMD) traveled to Morocco and France for an immersion mission with two benchmark institutions in the telecommunications sector: Morocco's National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) and France's Electronic Communications, Postal, and Print media Distribution Regulatory Authority (ARCEP).
The ARMD delegation is composed of the following members:
- Ms. Mouna Abdillah Omar, Deputy Director General of ARMD.
- Ms. Oubah Abdi Hassan, Director of Legal Affairs and Cooperation.
- Mr. Mohamed Habib Daoud, Director of Telecommunications and ICTs.
- Mr. Farah Ahmed Guedi, Director of Economy, Competition, and Markets.
- Mr. Mohamed Houssein Mohamed, Director of Communications, IT, and Documentation.
Over the course of five days, the ARMD executives engaged with their counterparts and gained firsthand exposure to the best practices implemented by these two internationally renowned partner institutions.
This mission is part of ARMD's ongoing effort to strengthen its expertise and draw on recognized international experience, in order to better support the modernization of Djibouti's telecommunications sector. It comes at a pivotal time for the country, marked by the gradual operationalization of ARMD, the arrival of new Internet service providers on the market, and the ambition—driven by the Vision Djibouti 2035, initiated by the President of the Republic, H.E. Ismael Omar Guelleh—to make Djibouti a true regional digital hub.
The mission follows a partnership agreement signed notably on May 18, 2026, in Rabat between ARMD and ANRT.
A week of exchanges with two benchmark regulators
In Rabat, discussions with ANRT—coordinated by Ms. Imane El Kalkha, Head of the International Relations Division—focused in particular on:
- Infrastructure sharing among operators (optical fiber, masts, conduits, and other passive infrastructure), a solution that helps reduce investment costs and accelerate network deployment;
- The mechanisms in place to ensure that operators comply with sector regulations;
- ANRT's quality management approach, certified ISO 9001, which reflects its ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence.
In Paris, Antoine Samba, Head of the International Unit, and Julien Gilson, Mission Officer at ARCEP France, received the delegation along with several of their colleagues. Over the course of various sessions, they presented ARCEP France and its regulatory vision, before addressing several topics of major interest to ARMD:
- Data-driven regulation: using data to better regulate the market, inform users, and improve decision-making;
- The systems in place to monitor service quality and protect consumers;
- Radio frequency management and the economic regulation of markets (fixed networks, optical fiber, wholesale markets);
- Best practices in public communication and dialogue with the various industry stakeholders.
Tangible benefits for ARMD and for Djibouti
This mission will enable ARMD to draw on proven experience to strengthen its action in several areas: monitoring operators, protecting consumers, managing sector resources, enforcing regulatory compliance, and public communication.
The insights gained will also feed into ongoing efforts to gradually open up the telecommunications market, improve the quality of services offered to Djiboutians, encourage fair competition among operators, and establish modern, transparent regulation inspired by international best practices.
A cooperation set to continue
Beyond this week's exchanges, the mission has helped strengthen the ties between ARMD and its two partners, ANRT and ARCEP, paving the way for further collaboration: training, technical support, expertise sharing, and skills development.
Through this initiative, ARMD reaffirms its commitment to engaging with international experience to build its capacity and support the digital transformation of the Republic of Djibouti. The Authority remains fully dedicated to implementing effective regulation in the service of digital infrastructure development, innovation, more competitive markets, and consumer protection.
Source: ARMD
