Turkey’s Aspirations in Africa: Soft Power as a Tool for Geopolitical Positioning

Turkey has expanded its influence in sub-Saharan Africa by leveraging a combination of humanitarian diplomacy, shared religious identity, and an anti-colonial narrative to establish soft power, which has subsequently paved the way for hard power interests. A key pillar of this strategy is the relationship with Somalia, recently solidified by a 10-year Defence and Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement granting Turkey authority over the management and defence of Somali waters. While Turkey positions itself as an alternative to Western powers, it faces competition from other middle powers like the UAE, Qatar, and Egypt. The document notes that Turkey's future engagement will be heavily influenced by its domestic economic crisis, potentially shifting priority toward high-yield economic activities such as defence exports and construction contracts over humanitarian aid.

• Turkey utilizes humanitarian and development aid, cultural outreach, and a shared Muslim identity to build soft power in sub-Saharan Africa, framing its approach as an "alternative model" to traditional Western donor aid.
• Turkey's soft power initiatives have served as a precursor to expanding its hard power and military presence, specifically through the growth of its indigenous defence industry and the export of low-priced drones.
• Somalia is Turkey's most significant partner in the region; on 21 February 2024, the two nations approved a 10-year Defence and Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement giving Turkey authority over the defence of Somalia's waters, including the Gulf of Aden.
• Turkey's engagement in Africa is characterized by competition with other rising middle powers, including the UAE, Qatar, and Egypt, which may exacerbate local instabilities, such as the UAE's support for Somaliland and Puntland against the central Somali government supported by Turkey.
• Turkey capitalizes on anti-Western and anti-colonial sentiment in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the backlash against France, to position itself as a revisionist power of the Global South.
• Severe domestic economic challenges, including an inflation rate of 69.8% in April 2024 and a 60% loss in the lira's value against the dollar over two years, are likely to shift Turkey's priorities toward economic gains and job-creating exports over humanitarian soft power.

APA

Tank, P. (2024). Turkey’s Aspirations in Africa: Soft Power as a Tool for Geopolitical Positioning. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0243b346-1a13-4f0a-ba23-b18b2627cbdb/MidEast Policy Brief 1-2024_update.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Tank, Pinar. Turkey’s Aspirations in Africa: Soft Power as a Tool for Geopolitical Positioning. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2024. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0243b346-1a13-4f0a-ba23-b18b2627cbdb/MidEast Policy Brief 1-2024_update.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tank |first1=Pinar |title=Turkey’s Aspirations in Africa: Soft Power as a Tool for Geopolitical Positioning |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=January 2024 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0243b346-1a13-4f0a-ba23-b18b2627cbdb/MidEast Policy Brief 1-2024_update.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tank2024turkeys, author = {Tank, Pinar}, title = {{Turkey’s Aspirations in Africa: Soft Power as a Tool for Geopolitical Positioning}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0243b346-1a13-4f0a-ba23-b18b2627cbdb/MidEast Policy Brief 1-2024_update.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }