Our Aim is to Increase Solidarity and Cooperation

Türkiye is one of the developing countries of the world and Africa is the continent with the largest number of developing countries. Common past experiences and similar goals and objectives have brought Türkiye and Africa closer together. Developing solidarity and cooperation between Türkiye and African countries has formed a solid and long-standing strategy as well as being the cornerstone of the foreign policy of our country.

As DEİK/Türkiye -Africa Business Councils, our aim is to guide our companies in the best way and to ensure that they do business regardless of the political and economic conditions in the countries of the continent. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected almost all countries around the world in a short time. The fact that there is no cure for the pandemic yet has caused countries to implement measures to curb the spread of the pandemic. These measures aimed at reducing the interaction between people have led to a significant decrease or even to a complete pause in the activities of many sectors, especially the service sector. Therefore, economic growth rates in developed and developing countries have been seriously affected.

For this reason, rising consumer goods and food prices in 2019 offer opportunities, especially in the African continent. In this process, our Business Councils performed their activities online, and conferences were organized with our counterpart organizations, chambers of industry and commerce, and sectoral associations. In addition, our companies were guided about the promotion of Türkiye’s industrial power and informed about new market opportunities in the continent.

In this direction, the pandemic and the new normal, the possibilities of doing business in Africa, reaching new markets and potential buyers, establishing new commercial and investment partnerships were evaluated in the Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Virtual Platform that we organized in 2020 with the motto “Türkiye-Africa: Strong Partners in Post-Pandemic World”. Heads of private sector organizations and company representatives, senior officials of the African Union and African Development Bank, and heads of chambers of commerce and industry participated in the said platform. While more than 3,500 business meetings were held on the platform, 11 African countries had the opportunity to introduce the projects in their countries to the Turkish business world within the framework of the G2B meetings. In addition, significant information on the financing of projects was provided to the participants through the session titled “Trade and Investment Financing” in which representatives of Turk Eximbank, Afreximbank, and the German Ministry of Finance and a special session of the Islamic Development Bank took place.

Our Türkiye-Africa Business Council maintained its solidarity and friendship with African countries and people even under challenging pandemic conditions. During this period, our government offered support and assistance to our African friends. In this context, Türkiye will keep strengthening its cooperation with Africa in the field of investment and financing, as well as mutually beneficial partnerships in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. As DEİK/Türkiye-Africa Business Councils, we are ready to integrate this cooperation closely with the interests of African people by acting on the win-win principle. We are hoping that “Mutual Promotion and Protection of Investment”, “Avoiding Double Taxation”, “Free Trade Agreements” and other bilateral agreements that have not yet been signed or entered into force with the Continent will be signed and put into effect as soon as possible.
On the other hand, during this period, our North African Business Councils had the opportunity to maintain the activities of our Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Libya Business Councils with regard to the developments in the region. Hosted by our DEİK/Türkiye-Libya Business Council, a hybrid meeting was held with Turkish Businesspeople and Investors in Istanbul as part of the official visit of Abdulhamid Dibeybe, Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of Libya, and his accompanying delegation in April 2021. Subsequently, on the occasion of the II. Term Meeting of the Türkiye-Algeria Joint Economic Commission (JEC) held in Algeria in October 2021 under the co-chairmanship of Fatih Dönmez, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Republic of Türkiye, Algeria-Türkiye Energy Cooperation Roundtable Meeting was held with the participation of Mohamed Erkab, Algeria’s Minister of Energy and Mines.

In July 2021, as part of the official visit of Joao Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, the President of Angola, and the accompanying delegation to our country, the Türkiye-Angola Business Forum was held with the participation of Mehmet Muş, Minister of Trade of Republic of Türkiye.

In addition, Business Forums were held within the scope of the official visit of the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Angola and Nigeria on October 19-20, 2021.

“Türkiye-Africa III. Economic and Business Forum” was held between October 21-22, 2021 to reevaluate commercial strategies with Africa, to discuss economic, commercial, and cultural cooperation opportunities between the continent and Türkiye, as well as to shape the future of bilateral relations. More than 3,000 Turkish and African businesspeople, 1,600 of whom were from 45 African countries, South Sudan Vice President and Ministers of 34 African countries, Commissioner of African Union Commission, and presidents and representatives of dozens of business organizations participated in the event, which was held with the theme of “Deepening Türkiye-Africa Partnership: Trade, Investment, Technology and Logistics” at the Istanbul Congress Centre in cooperation with our Ministry of Commerce and the African Union, and 4,900 mutual business meetings were held between businesspeople.
In addition, within the scope of the strategy of developing and diversifying commercial and economic relations with the African continent, DEİK/Türkiye-Africa Business Councils organized events in which cooperation was established with third countries in order for increasing the investments of the Turkish private sector in the African continent, carrying out large-scale projects, and facilitating trade. Within the scope of these events, the aim was to discuss cooperation areas in Sub-Saharan Africa, to identify target sectors and products and services that complement each other in these sectors by the two countries, and to evaluate existing projects by holding bilateral meetings.