1. (U) Post has received confirmation that Minister of
Commerce, Industry and Artisans, Rifki Abdoulkader Bamakrama,
and Houssein Elmi Houdon, Director of Commerce will be
attending as Djibouti's delegation to the AGOA Forum in Dakar.



2. (U) BIO DATA for Minister of Commerce and Industry, Rifki
Abdoulkader Bamakrama: Born in 1954. Bamakrama is Arab of
Yemeni descent. He did his Bac in Nancy, France and
University in Lorraine, France. He received a degree in
Social Sciences and Arab Arts. He also holds a diploma in
Teaching. Bamakrama worked in France briefly before starting
at the French Cultural Center in Djibouti in 1981. He has
held the position of Assistant Director of the Palais du
Peuple and Co-Director for Publication of Le Progres, the
newsletter of the People's Rally for Progress (RPP). He
played a large role as mediator in the 1994 peace accords. He
served as Minister of Commerce in 1995 and was Minister of
Communication until his move back to Commerce.
RAGSDALE