Assessing Turkey-Africa Engagements

The document analyzes Turkey's 'niche diplomacy' in Africa, focusing on its 'Ankara consensus' for development aid, its growing role as an arms exporter (particularly drones), and its trade relations. It highlights a distinction between North African and Sub-Saharan African perceptions of Turkey, noting that while Turkey is seen as a non-colonial partner, its overall trade and aid volumes remain modest compared to major global powers. The brief suggests that Turkey's influence is currently driven more by its status as a rising donor than as a primary trading partner.

• Turkey employs a specific development cooperation model termed the 'Ankara consensus', which it positions as an alternative to the Washington and Beijing consensuses. This approach is characterized by the provision of grants only, with no loans provided to African countries.
• Turkey's official development assistance (ODA) to Africa has seen a significant decline in share, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the share of Turkey's ODA fell from 9.66% in 2015 to 0.71% in 2020. This trend is attributed to Turkey's domestic currency and inflation crises and security expenditures related to the Syrian crisis.
• Trade between Turkey and Africa is heavily skewed toward North Africa due to historical Ottoman ties and geographical proximity. In 2020, of the total USD 25 billion trade volume with the continent, USD 15 billion was with North Africa.
• Turkey has rapidly expanded its security footprint in Africa, specifically through 'drone diplomacy' and the sale of Bayraktar TB-2 UCAVs. While Turkey's total share of Africa's arms imports from outside the continent is only 0.5%, it has increased its partners to 12 countries between 2017 and 2021.
• Turkish construction companies have significantly increased their activity in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2021, projects undertaken by Turkish builders in the region were valued at USD 5 billion, representing 17% of all Turkish building projects abroad.
• African perceptions of Turkey vary by region: North African countries may view Turkey's presence through the lens of 'neo-Ottoman ideology', whereas Sub-Saharan African countries generally view Turkey as a partner without colonial baggage and appreciate its criticism of the UN Security Council's decision-making mechanisms.
• Turkey's diplomatic approach in Africa is characterized by non-interventionism and a preference for collaborating with existing governments over opposition groups, as demonstrated by its neutral stance during the conflict between the Ethiopian Government and Tigray Rebels.
• The document identifies several barriers to deeper economic integration, including a low number of Free Trade Agreements (only four concluded with Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Mauritius) and the burden of double taxation on business people.

APA

Dal, E. P., & Dipama, S. (2023). Assessing Turkey-Africa Engagements. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/assessing-turkey-africa-engagements

Chicago

Dal, Emel Parlar, and Samiratou Dipama. Assessing Turkey-Africa Engagements. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2023. https://afripoli.org/assessing-turkey-africa-engagements.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dal |first1=Emel Parlar |last2=Dipama |first2=Samiratou |title=Assessing Turkey-Africa Engagements |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=27 April 2023 |url=https://afripoli.org/assessing-turkey-africa-engagements |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dal2023assessing, author = {Dal, Emel Parlar and Dipama, Samiratou}, title = {{Assessing Turkey-Africa Engagements}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://afripoli.org/assessing-turkey-africa-engagements}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }