A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON TURKIYE-AFRICA RELATIONS FOLLOWING TABEF

In 1998, the African Engagement Strategy Document prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs marked the f irst political will to expand Türkiye’s political, econom ic, commercial, and cultural relations with the continent. The engagement began to take concrete steps in 2005 with the declaration of “Africa Year” in Türkiye. Another important milestone came in 2008, when the 1st Türkiye-Africa Partnership Summit was held in Istanbul, and Türkiye was recognized as a “strategic partner” by the African Union. Thus, between 2005 and 2010, the number of Turkish embassies in Africa increased from 12 to 30. Parallel to the strengthening of economic relations, institutions such as TIKA and the Red Crescent became much more active in the region. Turkish Airlines also made a significant contri bution to this process by expanding its flight network to the continent.

During the 2010-2020 period, Türkiye’s cooperation with Africa deepened further. Defense industry, energy, agriculture, and infrastructure projects came to the fore during this process. Humanitarian aid provid ed to Somalia in 2011 strengthened Türkiye’s role in humanitarian diplomacy and significantly enhanced our country’s image on the continent. The 2nd Türki ye-Africa Partnership Summit held in Malabo in 2014 further cemented this positive image and our bilateral relations.

In the period from 2020 to the present, cooperation in the defense industry, counterterrorism, logistics, port operations, and renewable energy has come to the fore. With the pandemic, health diplomacy came to the fore, while digital and green transformation became new areas of cooperation in line with the reshaping of the global economy. In this context, the 3rd Türkiye-Af rica Partnership Summit was held in Istanbul in 2021.

Today, the number of our embassies in Africa has risen from 12 in 2002 to 44. This increase demonstrates that Türkiye has one of the fastest-growing diplomatic networks in the world. Bilateral trade volume has grown from $5 billion to nearly $40 billion; Turkish contractors have undertaken over 2,000 infrastructure and super structure projects on the continent, with a total value exceeding $100 billion. Parallel to the development of economic and commercial relations, the influence of our institu tions such as TIKA, the Red Crescent, the Yunus Emre Institute, and the Maarif Foundation in the region has increased; our relations have deepened in diplomatic, economic, humanitarian, defense, and cultural dimensions.

BUSINESS DIPLOMACY AND DEIK FOCUSED ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT

One of the most important elements of our developing bilateral relations with Africa is our trade relations. In this regard, DEIK, which undertakes Türkiye’s business diplomacy mission, has taken significant steps in the region and played a pioneering role in the development of bilateral economic relations by im plementing various projects.

Of DEIK’s 153 business councils worldwide, 48 are located in Africa, and 42 of these councils were established after 2005 was declared the “Year of Africa.” This is a concrete demonstration of DEIK’s active efforts to develop commercial relations with Africa. It is a source of pride to see the results of business diplomacy activities on the continent reflected in trade and investment fig ures. To further advance these figures, we organize various events with African countries, including business and investment forums, delegation visits and receptions, and B2B and B2G formats.

The highest-level of these events is the Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum (TABEF), organized every two years by the Ministry of Trade in cooperation with the African Union. The f ifth in the series of forums, which began in 2016, was held in Istanbul on October 16-17, 2025, with the honorary presence of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The forum was attended by over 4,000 representatives from 50 African countries and Türkiye, including figures from politics, public administration, academia, and the business world. Experts in their fields shared their views during the panels, and countless bilateral meetings were held in private areas throughout the forum.

THE FUTURE OF TÜRKIYE-AFRICA RELATIONS

Our multifaceted diplomatic offensive towards the African con tinent continues at full speed. As DEIK, we are working in coor dination with all relevant institutions to strengthen the economic and commercial pillar of this strategy. Our goal is to increase our bilateral trade volume to $50 billion in the short term and $75 billion in the medium term.

As we progress toward these goals, it is crucial to support strategies that will increase intra-regional trade within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area, meet infrastructure needs, and contribute to industrialization. Therefore, the rapid completion of infrastructure investments is among our priorities. Turkish construction companies, which have undertaken significant projects around the world, can play a critical role in this area; however, the support provided by Turkish banks is also of great importance at this point. Increasing the presence of our companies in the region will both facilitate the financing of infrastructure investments and offer significant advantages to other Turkish companies wishing to trade with the region.

Africa’s strong mining reserves and increasing new dis coveries in recent years have reignited the Western world’s interest in the continent. Türkiye’s approach, which combines business diplomacy with humanitarian diplomacy and is based on the win-win principle, is a significant advantage here. In addition, areas such as education and healthcare services, the digital and green economy, which are gaining importance in the new world order, are new focus areas added to our existing cooperation.

As DEIK, we had a very busy and productive 2025 in terms of Africa. In addition to TABEF, we hosted the President of Gabon, the Prime Ministers of Senegal and the Republic of Congo, and many African ministers and delegations through out the year, bringing them together with the Turkish business world. Together with our 48 business councils in the region, we will continue to work with the same determination in the coming period to develop bilateral trade relations. Further more, as DEIK, we are working on a mechanism to bring together Turkish companies and international financial re sources for infrastructure and superstructure projects aimed at Africa’s development. We believe that these solutions for project financing will pave the way for Turkish companies.

While both the West and China have increased their influ ence in Africa in recent years, and although this situation may appear risky at first glance, we see that Türkiye’s win win, humanitarian, and principled approach has been well received in Africa. I believe that by approaching the region with an awareness of this advantage, we can establish a much more integrated and sustainable model of cooperation.