V. TURKIYE-AFRICA BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC FORUM: TOGETHER FOR MUTUAL BENEFITS

TABEF, which brings Türkiye and Africa together, brings innovative collaborations and investment opportunities in strategic sectors to the agenda

The Türkiye-Africa Economic and Business Forum (TABEF), launched with the aim of deepening Türkiye’s economic, commercial, and cultural ties with the African continent, stands out as one of the most important milestones in our country’s Africa strategy. Hosted by the Ministry of Trade and the African Union, and organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), the Forum is held biennially in Istanbul. It aims to further advance trade and investment relations between Türkiye and Africa and lay the groundwork for new mutually beneficial partnerships.

First held in 2016, TABEF took the pulse of the business world for the fourth time in 2023 with the theme “Investing in a Sustainable Future Together: Türkiye and Africa,” following meetings held in 2018, 2020 (online), and 2021.

The closing ceremony of the Türkiye-Africa IV Business and Economic Forum was attended by Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Comoros President and African Union (AU) Chair Azali Assoumani, Türkiye Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, African Union Commission (AU) Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Industry, and Mining Ambassador Albert Muchanga, DEIK President Nail Olpak, Africa Business Council President Dr. Amany Asfour, and approximately 4,000 representatives from the economic and business communities of Türkiye and African countries. This broad participation was recorded as a concrete demonstration of the scale of the Türkiye-Africa partnership.

Following this important meeting, attention turned to the 5th Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum. The Fifth Forum will be hosted by the Ministry of Trade of Türkiye, coordinated by the African Union, and organized by DEIK on October 16-17, 2025, at the Istanbul Congress Center. The Forum, which will be attended by the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the Chairperson of the African Union, President of Angola, João Gonçalves Lourenço, will be hosted by the Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye, Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, and the Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Industry, and Mining of the African Union Commission, Albert Muchanga, and DEIK President Nail Olpak. (AUC) Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Industry, and Mining Albert Muchanga, and DEIK President Nail Olpak. The main theme of the Forum is “Strengthening Türkiye-Africa Relations to Share Mutual Benefits.”

This year, the Forum’s agenda will prioritize strategic sectors such as agriculture, food processing, mining, automotive, textiles, land-air-sea transportation, artificial intelligence, defense industry, and digital and data infrastructure. Africa’s rapidly growing young population and rich natural resources, combined with Türkiye’s advanced industrial infrastructure and export capacity, will open the door to new win-win business partnerships by increasing mutual opportunities in these sectors.

TABEF aims not only to increase bilateral trade volume but also to develop innovative cooperation models in areas such as foreign direct investment (FDI) and public-private partnerships (PPP). Thanks to strong trade and investment incentives, positioning Türkiye and Africa as indispensable partners on a global scale will be one of the Forum’s most important outcomes. In this regard, TABEF continues to make a strategic contribution not only to the economic relations between the two sides, but also to Africa’s development vision and Türkiye’s global economic role.