Multilateral Cooperations Between Turkey And African Nations

By Noufou Ouedraogo, PhD

This article focuses on the multilateral partnership between Africa and Turkey. This partnership, which is constantly evolving, offers remarkable opportunities for the economic, social, and political development of our nations and respective populations. Indeed, Africa and Turkey have a long history of mutually beneficial relations. The ties between the two regions date back several centuries, and today, it is an opportunity to further strengthen these relations in order to address the challenges for the benefit of both parties. Unquestionably, Turkey and Africa have been making substantial efforts to open up the road for expanding their collaboration based on mutual benefits. In this regard, Istanbul recently hosted the Turkey-Africa Business & Economic Forum on October 12-13, 2023. As an international company of business intermediation, AFRO-MEDIATION had the honor and the privilege to invite African businesspeople, political leaders and decision-makers to the organization of Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum (TABEF) which was held in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 12th – 13th, 2023. It was a magnificent event organized by Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board in partnership with Afro-Mediation Inc. It gathered various sectors, policy-makers and institutions working for the development, modernization and technification of agriculture, textile, agribusiness and renewable energies, food and livestock farming, construction and infrastructure, health, education, etc. Therefore, it was an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas between Turkish and African most important businessmen, producers and investors.

The mission of Afro-Mediation is to bring together businessmen, companies, investors, and entrepreneurs with the common goal of being a pioneer for the development of the African continent. Their objective is to connect various public and private actors in order to share their experiences, knowledge and investment opportunities for the benefit of the continent.
In fact, Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum (TABEF), is a unique event intended for all those who want to undertake, invest and discover the business opportunities offered by Turkey and the African continent. TABEF has a mission which is to provide the world with a global platform to promote entrepreneurship and investment projects related to the African continent in partnership with Turkish companies. During the Forum, mutual investment opportunities in several fields, from energy to agriculture, from health to the banking system, and innovation, etc. have been discussed.

The issues raised during TABEF forum will guide both parties in their efforts to strengthen their multilateral relations. Indeed, Turkey-Africa relations are growing daily in a multidimensional way based on equal partnership and a win-win spirit. Today, many investments in Africa, from public buildings to roads and tunnels, airports to ports, have the autograph of Turkish contractors. As the meetings got underway, four collaboration agreements have been signed by African institutions and nations with the Turkish Trade Ministry and Foreign Economic Relations Board.

The chairman of Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board, Nail Olpak, stated that significant steps would be taken to meet the $75 billion bilateral commerce target between Africa and Turkey. “We need to broaden our vision and be more open to global cooperation in these investments”, said Nail Olpak. The two-day event, held in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul on October 12-13, hosted 24 ministers and deputy ministers, high-level representatives from several countries and 3,900 African and Turkish business people. In fact, Turkish business people’s investments in the continent reached $10 billion while Turkish contractors assumed projects in Africa worth $85.5 billion so far, underlined Nail Bolat. Türkiye increased the number of embassies in the continent to 44 and the number of trade consultancies to 32 for developing relations with African countries. Several sessions have been hosted to discuss infrastructure opportunities, agricultural and industrial cooperation between Türkiye and Africa, digital transformation in Africa, medical technologies, defense and aviation sectors, and investing in African countries.

African can benefit from Turkish expertise

Actually, in the last two decades, Turkey has become a leading partner for many African countries. Trade between both regions has experienced significant growth in recent years, offering new opportunities for African and Turkish entrepreneurs and businessmen. Therefore, the partnership between Africa and Turkey is based on fundamental principles such as mutual respect, solidarity, and win-win cooperation. In doing so, Turkey is willing to share its experience and expertise to help African countries to address the various challenges that they are facing. In the field of agriculture, for example, Turkey can contribute its expertise in irrigation, land management, and modern production techniques. This will improve food security in Africa and create jobs in the agricultural sector.

Regarding infrastructure, Turkey has extensive experience in the construction of highways, railways, ports, and airports. By collaborating with African countries, Turkey can help bridge the infrastructure gap and promote intra-African trade. Furthermore, the cooperation between Africa and Turkey also focuses on the areas of health and education. As a matter of fact, Turkey has world-renowned medical centers and can assist in strengthening healthcare systems in Africa by providing training, medical equipment, and public health programs. Additionally, Turkey offers scholarships to African students, allowing them to access quality education in Turkish best universities.

The partnership between Africa and Turkey offers tremendous opportunities for both parties. By working together, they can create sustainable economic growth, eliminate poverty, and improve the quality of life for their populations. As I mentioned above, this partnership should be based on shared values of respect, solidarity, and cooperation; hence it is time to materialize it by investing in concrete projects, exchanging knowledge and resources, and working hand in hand for a better future.

The Importance of the Forum

The TABEF 2023 Forum provided an open space for eminent representatives of public and private sector actors, from both Turkey and Africa to discuss and – build on their respective experiences – jointly identify a set of recommendations for scaling up private sector engagement and innovative catalytic Public-Private Partnerships for broad-based, sustainable, inclusive growth and development.
In the end, the Forum’s main goal was to facilitate communication between the two business communities and launch a dialogue between Turkish and African businessmen and investors as well as with African Regional Economic Communities (RECs). This was done by analyzing trade and economic relations between the two partners and by promoting Turkish and African investments.

Source: Africa Publicity