By Brian Okoth
No President of any country outside Africa has taken a keener interest in the continent's well-being than Türkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a camaraderie reflected in the joy with which Africans in general have greeted his triumph in the presidential run-off.
From Nigeria to Somalia; Algeria to South Africa, Erdogan’s footprint of development, economic progress and political stability loom large.
Adamu Usman from Gombe State in northeastern Nigeria reacted to Erdogan getting a fresh mandate with a sense of elation on social media, referring to the Turkish leader as "our (Africa's) hero".
Mohamed Abdi from Somalia congratulated Erdogan on the victory, saying the President had made Türkiye "big and prosperous".
Abdi said that as a Somali national, he had personally experienced the "brotherly love" of Erdogan’s administration.
There were millions of comments online – from presidents of different nations to citizens – lauding Erdogan on the decisive win, with each painting a picture of how impactful the President’s leadership had been to them.
African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat tweeted that Erdogan's win allows the African Union and Türkiye to continue "strengthening strategic partnerships for the benefit of our people".
Renewed energy
But why is Erdogan’s victory so important to African nations? Gitile Naituli, a professor of management and leadership at the Multimedia University of Kenya, terms Erdogan’s continued run at the helm of Türkiye "very good for Africa".
"His win gives Türkiye the opportunity to expand its presence in Africa. The continent has, over the years, benefited a lot from Türkiye, and that has been possible through Erdogan,” he says.
The academician said a new leader would have "taken a lot of time to learn and adapt to Africa and her people’s immediate and long-term needs".
"In Kenya, for instance, most mid and small-scale textile businesses import their merchandise from Türkiye. Turkish Airlines flies to many destinations on the continent, probably more than any other foreign airline, and we see more passenger traffic to and from Türkiye. Erdogan’s victory means that this volume of trade can only increase," Naituli explains.
Macharia Munene, professor of international relations at the United States International University-Africa, says Erdogan’s win "gives the President renewed energy to continue with the different initiatives he had launched in Africa".
“His victory not only gives him the mandate to make Türkiye a greater nation, but also allows him to expand on areas of engagement with Africa such as commerce and diplomacy," says Munene.
Türkiye’s presence in Africa transcends sectors, including economic, diplomatic, defence, humanitarian, education and health. When Erdogan served as the Prime Minister between 2003 and 2014, he did the groundwork for a collaborative relationship with African nations.
To cement this relationship, he made a dozen trips to African countries on different occasions. Chad, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Angola, Nigeria and Togo are some of the 30-odd countries he has visited till date as President, by far the highest by any sitting or former President.
Africa’s potential
Naituli says President Erdogan has been "brilliant" in terms of "understanding Africa's business potential".
"The continent has more than 1.4 billion people, and is an emerging market that has not been fully exploited. Erdogan has seen the opportunity and is capitalising on it," he says.
The President, for one, knows that for economic engagements to be fruitful, the seed capital has to be education.
"That explains why he has launched a number of educational projects in Africa and extended scholarships to many students on the continent. Education is the beginning of trade because an informed person would be in a position to innovate, invent and relate," says Naituli.
More than 14,000 talented students in Africa have benefited from Turkish scholarships, while at least 250 African diplomats have been trained through Turkish sponsorship.
Türkiye is using its international education agency, the Maarif Foundation, and the Turkish language council Emre Yunus Institute to drive this growth. Munene says Erdogan has done well in "projecting Türkiye’s interest in Africa".
Strategic partnerships
According to Dr Edgar Githua, an expert in international relations, Türkiye’s role in Africa also touches on regional peace initiatives.
"Africa is a strategic partner for President Erdogan, and the country is a powerhouse when it comes to peacekeeping and international diplomacy," he says. Githua also believes Türkiye's role is vital in boosting food security on the continent.
"The Black Sea grain deal is testament to Türkiye’s role in food security in Africa. When President Erdogan extended the grain deal by another two months earlier in May, he said he was doing it for Africa. Russia and Ukraine are the world’s leading grain producers and Türkiye facilitates the movement of the cereals to Africa through the Black Sea."
Policy of non-interference
Githua says Türkiye enjoys a warm reception in Africa because "unlike many other western countries, it never interferes in African nations' internal politics".
"They (Türkiye) won’t tell you who to elect as the leader of the government, or how to live. They are only interested in doing business with you and ensuring your overall well-being," he tells TRT Afrika.
The international relations expert predicts that Erdogan will, most likely, look forward to expanding Türkiye’s economic, defence and humanitarian aid to Africa over the next five years.
"He will also likely play a key role in ensuring regional peace on the continent," says Githua.
Figures bear out the consistency and extent of Türkiye's relationship with the continent.
There are 44 Turkish embassies in Africa, placing it among the top four countries of the world with the highest number of consulates on the continent, just behind China (53), the US (49) and France (46).
In the health sector, Türkiye's presence in Africa is hard to miss. For instance, in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, Erdogan built one of the biggest hospitals in 2015, named after him.
In Senegal, Türkiye has built several projects, including the world-class 50,000-seater Abdoulaye Wade Stadium that was constructed by the Summa construction company in a record 17 months starting February 2020.
Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, former foreign minister of Senegal highlighted the role of president Erdogan in cementing win-win relations with Africa.
''President Erdogan symbolises a new approach of international relations... he came up with a vision of new co-operation with Africa,'' Gadio told TRT Afrika.
President Erdogan has visited Senegal at least four times. In Tanzania, the Turkish company Yapi Merkezi was contracted to build the country's standard gauge railway. The quality of work attracted plaudits from the Ugandan government.
"Yapi Merkezi is said to be undertaking commendable work on SGR project in Tanzania," the Government of Uganda said on Twitter on May 16, when it announced resumption of work on the Kampala-Kigali SGR line.
In Rwanda, a Turkish firm constructed Kigali's BK Arena, a multi-purpose 10,000-seater hall. Türkiye is also involved in charitable work in different countries, spearheaded by Tika, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency.
Mutual benefits
Energy, defence, textile, film, transport and military hardware are some of the areas that Türkiye has benefited many African nations.
"With our Africa Partnership Policy, which is the product of an integrated understanding that includes the activities of public institutions, private sector, non-governmental organisations and humanitarian aid organisations, we aim to contribute to the peace, stability, economic and social development of the continent, and develop our bilateral relations on the basis of equal partnership and mutual benefit," says Türkiye’s ministry of foreign affairs.
As he steers the ship for another five years, Africa is confident that Erdogan’s presidency will continue to bring glad tidings. The confidence in each other is mutual.
"There are still those who cannot accept the independence, freedom and equality gains of the African people. As Türkiye, we reject western-centred orientalist approaches to the African continent. We embrace the people of the African continent without discrimination," the President had said in October 2021.
Trade in numbers
In 2022, Türkiye's exports to African countries exceeded $21 billion, reaching record levels. Sales to the continent increased by 12.3 per cent compared to 2021.
Egypt ($3.9 billion), Morocco ($3 billion), Libya ($2.4 billion), Algeria ($1.9 billion) and South Africa ($1.6 billion) were the African nations that Türkiye exported a significant volume of its goods to.
Steel, chemicals, cereals, oilseeds, industrial products, olive oil, fresh fruits, vegetables, automotive and building materials were the leading exports to Africa from Türkiye.
''The trade between Zimbabwe and Türkiye is growing,'' Zimbabwean finance minister Mthuli Ncube tells TRT Afrika. His country imported goods worth $17 million from Türkiye in 2021, he says.
Türkiye imports crude oil, gold, iron, copper, liquefied natural gas and other raw materials from Africa.
According to official data from the Turkish Statistics Authority, Türkiye’s import volume from Africa reached $8.3 billion in 2021, with crude oil at the top of exports.
"With Erdogan’s presidential win, we expect more two-way trade to continue between Africa and Türkiye because there won’t be political interruption. His victory guarantees continuity and expansion into newer trade possibilities," says Naituli.
Githua predicts more Türkiye-Africa partnership summits in President Erdogan’s subsequent term.
"He would want to improve further the Turkish presence and cooperation in Africa. The presidential election victory now gives Erdogan the power and legitimacy to unite Türkiye, double partnership efforts with Africa and exploit untapped trade opportunities on the continent."
Erdogan won the May 28 presidential run-off after garnering 52.18 per cent of the votes against opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s 47.82 per cent.
The election proceeded to a run-off after none of the presidential candidates secured 50 per cent plus one vote in the May 14 polls, although Erdogan had a comfortable lead in the first round.
