Turkey in Africa - The Evolution of Africa Policy under the AKP, 2002-22

Authors:

  • Anna Ida Rock
  • Aron Lund

Publish date: 2024-03-08

Report number: FOI-R--5595--SE

Pages: 134

Written in: Swedish

Keywords:

  • Turkey
  • Africa
  • North Africa
  • Africa policy
  • Erdoğan
  • arms export
  • geopolitics
  • Somalia
  • Libya
  • Bayraktar TB2

Abstract

In the 2000s, Turkey has developed a very considerable activity in Africa, a continent that previously attracted only a limited interest among Turkish leaders. Today, the country possesses a well-developed network of embassies in Africa and Turkish leaders make frequent visits of state. Turkey has also launched intense efforts to promote trade, concluded military cooperation agreements, and set up Africa-focused media outlets. This FOI report studies Turkish Africa policy and the strategies and methods used by Turkey to satisfy its interests on the continent. It focuses on the period between 2002 and 2022, which corresponds to the first twenty years of today's Turkish government, led by current president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his party, AKP. The report first describes the evolution of Turkey's policy and its general characteristics, showing, among other things, that the Africa policy is shaped by the political-ideological perspectives of Erdogan and the AKP. This is followed by specialized chapters about Turkey's political and diplomatic involvement in Africa, trade relations and economic affairs, military and security cooperation, and, finally, Turkey's cultural and religious relations with Africa. The report demonstrates that Turkey's involvement with Africa has grown considerably since 2002, in all of these fields.