The visit of the Prime Minister of Niger, Ali Al-Amin Zain, to Turkey at the beginning of February this year, in response to an invitation from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sheds light on Turkey’s role in Africa and its pursuit of expansion and influence through economic and military cooperation.
For the past two decades, Turkey has been working to expand its presence in the continent of Africa, which is considered a favorable climate for investment, as it holds approximately 65% of untapped global resources.
Following a series of coups in the Sahel region starting in 2020 from Mali and the decline of French influence in West Africa, Ankara has increased its efforts through arms deals and economic cooperation to become a prominent partner in a region witnessing competition from global powers.
Diplomatic Relations
Turkish diplomacy has been implementing a strategy of rapprochement with the African continent by expanding relations and increasing diplomatic presence. The number of Turkish embassies in Africa jumped from 12 embassies in 2002 to 44 embassies and consulates in 2022. Furthermore, African embassies and diplomatic representations accredited in Turkey increased from 10 embassies in 2008 to 37 embassies in 2021.
Turkey ranks fourth among the most represented countries in Africa after the United States, China, and France. According to data from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relations with African countries are among the key objectives of Turkish foreign policy.
The interest in developing these relations dates back to 2005 when Ankara became an observer member of the African Union and announced a new roadmap titled “Opening up to Africa” in the same year.
Partnership with Africa
In the context of strengthening these relations, Turkey became a strategic partner of the African Union in 2008 and held the first Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit in Istanbul the same year. The main slogans of the conference were “common future,” “cooperation,” and “solidarity” among the participating parties.
Ankara has become a non-regional member of the African Development Bank participating in development funding and loans. In 2014, the Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit was held in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, where various common issues were signed, along with the strategy for joint work between 2015-2019.
From 2008 to 2023, the Turkish president visited 30 African countries redirecting investment compass towards the region.
Investments and Trade Exchange
Since the beginning of the third millennium, Turkey has been directing commercial companies towards Africa, which possesses a massive consumer market of over 1.3 billion people. In the context of economic partnership, the volume of trade exchange between Turkey and Africa has increased from 3 billion dollars in 2003 to 26 billion dollars in 2021.
Ankara imports 90% of its oil and gas needs worth 42 billion dollars annually and has recently sought preferential gas prices from the African region, which holds 10% of the world’s oil reserves.
Turkey is classified as the second-largest investor in Ethiopia after China, with trade reaching 650 million dollars in 2022.
The value of projects undertaken by Turkish contracting companies across Africa reached 71.1 billion dollars in 2021, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for about 19.5 billion dollars of these contracts and businesses.
Military Presence
After enhancing its trade and investment presence in the region, Turkey sought to extend its military influence within Africa and conduct joint exercises with the armies of the region. This led to the signing of security agreements with Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania to train security forces in these countries to combat armed groups and piracy.
Turkey also worked on opening new markets for Turkish defense industries. Ankara has 37 military offices in the African continent, and in 2021, its military exports to Africa increased from 41 million dollars to 328 million dollars.
The Turkish Armed Forces contribute through training exercises to the Somali army, establishing a training center, providing equipment, armored vehicles, and ambulance vehicles. In 2021, the Turkish president declared that his country would support the Ethiopian government by all means.
During his visit to Mauritania in 2018, the Turkish president affirmed Turkey’s support with approximately 5 million dollars to the Sahel countries to counter armed groups.
Position on Coups
As French influence declined in West Africa due to military coups where the leaders showed hostility towards the former colonizer, Turkey increased its political and military support for those countries. Ankara stood against the Economic Community of West African States sanctions on Bamako after the military coup in 2020 and its foreign minister made an official visit to Mali the same year.
In January last year, the head of the Transitional Military Council in Mali, Col. Assimi Goita, appeared at an event in Bamako where Turkey delivered Bayraktar drones. Following the delivery event, Ahmed Yildiz, the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister responsible for African affairs, visited Bamako to emphasize the tripartite alliance between Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger and provide further support.
On January 17, 2024, the joint ministerial committee between Burkina Faso and Turkey was held, presided over by the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Burkinabe counterpart Karimou San Maoré. The committee signed several agreements deemed important for the region’s future.
According to local press reports in Niger, Ankara aims to establish a Turkish military base in the strategic geographical location of Agadez in northern Niger, which is bordered by Chad, Libya, and Algeria. Agadez is a center for uranium mines, which the authorities in Niamey seek to control against attacks by rebels and armed movements.
Challenges and Obstacles
Turkey’s policy towards Africa faces some obstacles and challenges, summarized – according to a study published by the Arab Democratic Center – in the spread of religious and ethnic conflicts, the exacerbation of armed conflicts, and border disputes that have affected the governance systems in many African countries, leading to political, social, and economic instability.
The emergence of armed movements and the increasing African role in the war on terrorism that has gained prominence, especially in the American strategic thinking, will cast shadows on any Turkish role in the region.
In general, the key indicator of Turkey’s policy in Africa aims for further development according to joint implementation plans announced by the parties during periodic partnership summits between both sides. Turkish-African relations remain an essential aspect of Turkish foreign policy, especially given Ankara’s successes within the continent of Africa.
