Secretary General, Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Djibouti
Mr. Hassan Aboubakar
Mr. Hassan Aboubakar
Aboubaker Hassan is a prominent figure in the scientific and administrative landscape of Djibouti, having held major responsibilities within the government and in various technical and educational fields. Originally from Djibouti, he has distinguished himself with a remarkable academic and professional career that has led him to contribute significantly to the development of the country, particularly in the sectors of higher education, research, and technological innovation. A 1996 graduate in hydraulic engineering with a specialisation in urban hydraulics from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Hydraulique de Toulouse (ENSEEIHT), Aboubaker also previously obtained a Specialized Higher Education Diploma in geophysics from the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris in 1994. This solid academic background was enriched by a postgraduate diploma in business management, specialising in strategy and finance, awarded in 2004 in partnership with the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and the French Development Agency. His professional career began in 1995 at the National Office for Water and Sanitation, where he successively held the positions of head of technical department and technical advisor to the director. There, he implemented strategies in the field of urban water and supervised the production and distribution of drinking water in Djibouti. With this first experience, Aboubaker Hassan became Secretary General of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research in 2012, a position he holds to this day. He then played a leading role in the implementation of several structural reforms and innovative projects. One of the flagship projects he coordinates is the Professionalization and Digitalization of Higher Education (PNE) program, funded by the French Development Agency. This program aims to create, among other things, a Center of Excellence for Digital and Innovation and to professionalise sectors within the University of Djibouti with a view to their accreditation by HCERES. His involvement in the technological field is particularly evident through the Djibouti space program, which he has led since its creation in 2020. Under his leadership, Djibouti will launch its first nano-satellite in 2023, then a second nano-satellite in December 2024, a first in the country's history. This success, the result of a partnership with the Montpellier University Space Center, marks a major technological advance for Djibouti. Aboubaker Hassan is also the architect of several legislative initiatives related to space, including the drafting of laws and regulations governing space activities in Djibouti. In November 2024, he obtained membership of the Republic of Djibouti in COPUOS (Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.) In recognition of his exceptional contributions, Aboubaker Hassan was elected in February 2024 as a member of the African Space Council. Similarly, Aboubaker Hassan has received several honorary distinctions, including the title of Knight in the Order of Academic Palms of the French Republic in 2016, and that of Officer in the National Order of June 27 of the Republic of Djibouti in 2024, for his role in the success of the Djiboutian space program.
