President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Friday reaffirmed the importance Türkiye attaches to its relations with Africa and its dedication to further bolster economic cooperation with the continent.
Türkiye's engagement with the African continent has been gaining pace over the years. Since taking office nearly two decades ago, first serving as prime minister, Erdoğan has been fostering ties with the continent, presenting Türkiye as a fairer player than the continent’s former colonial powers.
Erdoğan on Friday recalled that Türkiye has been advancing its cooperation with the continent based on "equal partnership and a win-win principle."
"In 2005, we opened a new page in our relations with the continent by declaring the year of Africa in our country," he told the Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum in Istanbul.
"Africa has a special place in the foreign policy of our country as well as in the heart of the Turkish nation," Erdoğan noted.
The diplomatic push has seen Erdoğan make over 50 visits to around 30 African countries since he became prime minister in 2003.
The government's priority to engage with Africa has helped facilitate the growth of business and trade relations. It came with a strong commitment that focused on direct aid, infrastructure and transportation projects, as well as mutually beneficial economic partnerships.
"We have increased the number of our embassies throughout Africa to 44. We take great pride in hosting ambassadors from 38 African countries in Ankara," Erdoğan said.
Citing robust growth in trade with the continent, he said Türkiye’s trade volume with Africa surged to nearly $41 billion by the end of 202 from as low as $5.4 billion in 2003.
The figure is projected to hit $50 billion by the end of this year.
Erdoğan said the number of Türkiye's trade consulates in the continent will soon reach 31, and noted that they had established business councils with a total of 48 African countries.
"The number of countries with which we have trade and economic cooperation agreements has reached 48. The number of countries with mutual promotion and protection agreements for investments has increased to 32," he said.
"From trade to investment, culture to education, we are delighted to observe that our relations with Africa are growing stronger in every field day by day."
Erdoğan said Turkish companies' investments across the continent exceeded $10 billion and cited the fact that the firms provided jobs to more than 100,000 Africans.
Turkish contractors have to date undertaken projects worth more than $85.5 billion, Erdoğan noted.
Win-win basis
The two-day forum, which began on Thursday, brings together experts, businesspeople, top officials, and representatives from institutions from Türkiye and African countries.
The forum's first edition was held in 2016, the second in 2018 and the third in 2021, while there was a virtual meeting in 2020 under the pandemic conditions.
Addressing the event, Nail Olpak, the head of the Foreign Economic Relations Board, said Turkish businesspeople aim to take trade and investment relations with Africa to new heights while adhering to the win-win principle.
"But, while we understand the win-win principle as 'I win, you win,' most developed countries understand it as 'I win, I win again,'" Olpak said.
"Just as they understand justice as the strong is right," he stressed.
Olpak stressed the goal to increase the bilateral trade to $50 billion in the short term, before lifting it further to $75 billion.
"To achieve our goals, our cooperation in overcoming visa problems, double tax prevention agreements, mutual recognition and protection of investments agreements, free trade agreements, development of banking facilities, technology and startups is important," he noted.
One of the axes of increasing Türkiye's economic relations with Africa will be to increase the dialogue environment where Turkish and African women will come together, he noted.
The transformative role of women leaders in Africa's business world is increasing, he said, adding: "In Africa, the continent with the highest number of women entrepreneurs in the world, 70% of trade between countries is conducted by women and 58% of these women are self-employed."