By Ishaq Khalid
Moustafa Aminou Tukur landed in Istanbul from Nigeria in 2013 under a Turkish government student scholarship for higher studies.
Since then, Tukur has acquired his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and is now pursuing his PhD in Statistics and Computer Science at the Yildiz Technical University.
Tukur is among an estimated 10,000 students, most of them from Africa, who have benefitted from the Türkiye Burslari Scholarship over the past few decades.
It’s only half the story of Türkiye’s ‘soft powers’ touching people’s lives in the world’s second-most populous continent.
Hundreds of schools funded by Türkiye are functioning across African nations – helping young Africans get quality education and preparing them to face the world with confidence.
Turkish influence in Africa today encompasses many sectors, as Ankara aggressively woos the continent as part of its “multi-dimensional foreign policy”.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has led his country in this effort, crisscrossing more than 30 countries in Africa in recent years and stressing his country’s priorities.
He has also signed several bilateral agreements to foster economic, political, cultural and educational ties and military cooperation.
Political experts say the number of visits by Erdogan is extraordinary for any leader, a clear indication of his commitment to strengthening Türkiye-Africa relations.
“Türkiye has been very smart” in tailoring its foreign policy towards Africa and Asia, says retired Nigerian diplomat Sulaiman Dahiru.
“Türkiye is a developed country, it has a very strong economy, it has a strong industrial base. So, with their industries spread all over Africa, it’s going to be a plus for Türkiye and a plus for Africa,” he tells TRT Afrika.
Dahiru believes that the relationship has been “successful” because Türkiye benefits from the vast African market while Turkish companies operating in Africa help in the development of the continent in terms of infrastructure and job opportunities.
Growing business
Data from Türkiye’s ministry of foreign affairs show that annual trade volume between Africa and Türkiye increased from $5.4bn in 2003 to more than $34bn in 2021.
Turkish companies have also executed projects worth nearly $78bn across Africa – in infrastructure, schools, and humanitarian aid.
Türkiye has free-trade agreements with several African countries, including Egypt, Morocco, Mauritius and Tunisia.
Goods made by Turkish companies are becoming increasingly common in Africa – including furniture, clothing, cars and electronic devices, besides food items. In addition, many families in the continent order their household items directly from Türkiye– thanks to the internet and an efficient business system.
Another visible sign of growing business and economic ties is the increasing number of flights by Türkiye’s national air carrier, Turkish Airlines, to dozens of destinations in Africa.
Türkiye has also increased the number of its embassies in African countries – from 12 to 44 within the last twenty years.
On the other hand, 28 more African countries have established their embassies in Ankara in just over a decade, boosting diplomatic relations.
Türkiye was appointed a strategic partner by the African Union in 2008 after being given the role of an observer member of the continental body in 2005.
African leaders have held several strategic summits with Türkiye. These and the implementation of the African Partnership Policy of Türkiye have helped ensure “rapid progress” in economic, cultural and infrastructural development as well as security and military cooperation.
Soft power
Idayat Hassan, the Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development – an independent organisation promoting peace, development and democracy in West Africa – says Türkiye “has been able to win the hearts and minds of many people in Africa” through the use of “a lot of soft power”.
Ankara’s strategy of investing in educational opportunities for Africans, access to healthcare and training for various professionals, as well as strengthening “people-to-people and government-to-government relations” has been “fantastic for many people”, she tells TRT Afrika.
Turkish films and TV series – translated into English and several African languages – have brought new art and culture to the living rooms of African nations.
Hassan says that the recent strengthening of ties is just a continuation of the excellent relationship between Africa and Türkiye since the Ottoman Empire. “What Türkiye is now doing is oiling the relationship and making it much more prominent,” Hassan adds.
“Türkiye is a developed country, it has a very strong economy, it has a strong industrial base. So, with their industries spread all over Africa, it’s going to be a plus for Türkiye and a plus for Africa.”
Alternative to West
According to the Turkish foreign ministry, the country is committed to sharing its “historical experience, social, political and cultural accumulation as well as its opportunities and resources with African countries” on the principle of “African solutions for African problems”.
African analysts feel this is where Türkiye has been able to win over the African nations.
“Türkiye is coming up as an alternative to Western countries” in Africa, says Hassan.
Former diplomat Sulaiman Dahiru points out that “Türkiye does not interfere in the affairs of African countries, unlike the western world that wants to dictate what should happen and what should not happen”.
Western countries, including Britain and France, colonised most African countries. But over the years, western powers “have not been honest and sincere in their relationship with Africa,” and they have not been “helping Africa the way they should despite exploiting its resources”, Dahiru adds.
“Although slavery is over, they still treat Africa as if it is still a colonial territory. Africa is resisting dictation,” he tells TRT Afrika, adding that “the aspirations of Africa are development and respect. Türkiye is not disrespecting Africa.”
This is a view shared by Idayat Hassan. “The western powers are not propped up for the reality of Africa today”, as Türkiye’s policy is “quite adaptable to the current realities of Africa”. According to her, the likes of Türkiye are “building a new power structure” that takes “the real concerns of Africans” into consideration.
Back in Istanbul, Tukur is waiting for the day he completes his studies. He hopes to return to his home country to “transfer whatever I have learnt to the new generation of Africans”.
The young Nigerian will surely carry a part of Türkiye wherever his work takes him.
