After studying transport and logistics at the ‘Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers’, in Le Havre, France, and at the World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden, Aboubaker Omar Hadi began his career as Operations as Director of Operations at the Port of Djibouti in 1992. He rose through the ranks to become Container Terminal Manager, then Commercial Director from 1997 to 2008, playing a key role in the definition of the Doraleh Container Terminal, which has a depth of 18 meters.
After a three-year stint at the head of Tin Can Island in Lagos, Nigeria, he was appointed Chairman of the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority in 2011. Since then, Mr. Aboubaker Omar Hadi has overseen projects totalling over 1.5 billion, including the development of the Doraleh Multipurpose Port, the implementation of Africa's largest free trade zone, Djibouti International Free Trade Zone, and the Djibouti Damerjog Industrial Park, as well as the Djibouti Port Corridor Roads, the Port Community System, the Djibouti Ship Repair Yard and the first grid-connected 60 MW wind farm.