Red Sea Security: Saudi Arabia has launched a 14-state Multinational Maritime Defence Coalition (MMDC) to protect shipping through the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden, with Djibouti among the founding signatories and Riyadh set to host the permanent headquarters and command structures. Djibouti’s Maritime Role: The coalition’s launch comes as piracy and armed boarding incidents keep pressure on the Western Indian Ocean, with Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC) members pushing for faster intelligence-sharing and coordinated naval/coast guard action. Horn Trade Facilitation: Kenya hosted a two-day validation workshop for the Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI) Trade Facilitation Roadmap 2026–2031, covering Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan, with focus on reducing border frictions and aligning corridor governance. Ethiopia Airport Contracts: Ethiopia’s Bishoftu International Airport shortlist shows Chinese firms dominating pre-qualification, led by multiple China Communications Construction and China Construction entities, alongside bidders from Türkiye, Italy, France, Qatar, South Korea, the U.S. and Portugal. Energy & Power Networks: A new analysis highlights how unreliable power and weak cross-border electricity links are holding back African industry and trade, pointing to chronic underinvestment in transmission lines.