Djibouti adopts what3words addressing standard

Photo: The Weather Channel

Djibouti, a country located in the Horn of Africa with a population of about 850,000 citizens, adopted what3words as the addressing standard for its postal service.

what3words is a global addressing system that provides a fixed address for every 3-by-3 meter square in the world.

According to what3words, Djibouti is the fifth country in the world to accept its addresses. The country only has a few named streets, so delivering mail is a struggle for La Poste Djibouti, the nation’s official postal system, what3words added.

In addition, until recently, home delivery was restricted to express mail in Djibouti City, the capital of the republic. Any other post would be delivered to P.O. Boxes, where the recipient was responsible for collecting it. what3words provides an easy reference for international mail and enables home delivery for the country.

“Thanks to our partnership with what3words, every place in the country now has a fixed, accurate and immediately assigned address,” said Bahnan Ali Maidal, CEO at La Poste Djibouti. “Each inhabitant living in Balbala or Arhiba, Ali Sabieh or Obock, Randa or Assa Geyla will be able to quickly determine any address, write it on an envelope or communicate it by telephone.”

Available in thirteen languages, including English, French and Spanish, what3words is used by individuals, delivery companies, navigation tools, governments, logistics firms, travel guides and NGOs.