MARTIN SEEMUNGAL:

Djibouti is one of the hottest, driest, places on Earth. Vast areas are semi-arid desert. There are no natural resources. The official unemployment rate is 50 percent. Life for many is difficult.

But Djibouti does have one very valuable asset — its location.

Where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden. A crossroads to the Suez Canal, the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, and the East African coast. Strategic for countries from all over the world that have military outposts here.

Entering Djibouti's oldest port, you get the first glimpse of the country's main industry. That enormous ship and a dockside full of containers has been the blueprint for its economy since gaining independence from France in 1977.

This port was built by the French decades ago. It has served Djibouti well, establishing this tiny nation as a player in the shipping world. But it simply isn't big enough to meet the ever growing demand…and Djibouti's ambitions.

Ilyas Dawaleh is the country's Finance Minister.