Turkish businesspeople have invested $2.3 billion in Africa and created 35,000 jobs, while the country’s construction sector has carried out over 2,300 projects across the continent, Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said.
Speaking at the Türkiye-Africa business gathering during the World Cooperation Industries (WCI) Forum in Istanbul, Bolat noted that these construction projects were worth $97.5 billion, making up 18% of the sector’s overseas portfolio.
“Tens of thousands of Africans have been employed with our investments in the continent,” he said, adding, “Africa has been very close to us, as it takes only a 45-minute flight from Türkiye’s southern coast cities to reach the continent.”
He highlighted that Türkiye–Africa relations grew rapidly in politics, diplomacy, trade, tourism, and investments after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan assumed office in late 2002, according to Daily News.
In 2005, the Turkish government declared the “Year of Africa” following the announcement of its regional strategy in 2003.
Bolat said Turkish Airlines plays a major role in connecting Africa to the world, flying to 54 countries on the continent.
Türkiye’s diplomatic presence has also expanded, with the number of embassies in Africa increasing from 12 in 2003 to 44, with a target of 50 in the near future.
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Trade between Türkiye and Africa has seen a sharp rise, from $5.4 billion in 2003 to $36.5 billion in 2024, a sevenfold increase.
Of that total, Türkiye exported $21.8 billion worth of goods and imported around $15 billion.
Bolat added that Türkiye is working to strengthen ties with 26 Muslim-majority countries in Africa and is particularly focused on sectors such as machinery, electrical equipment, chemicals, automotive, agricultural products, and ferrous and steel products.
The minister said the Turkish Ministry of Trade took part in 65 events across Africa in 2023–24 and organized 33 business events in the region this year.
Meetings were held with more than 50 African state officials, and 79 procurement delegation programs were conducted over the last two years.
He noted that African exports to Türkiye include raw materials, energy products, petroleum, natural gas, oil, mineral resources, cocoa, coffee, sesame seeds, and other agricultural products.
“We have also seen a major breakthrough in the service sector,” Bolat said.
“I can say with confidence that Türkiye’s total exports will reach nearly $400 billion by the end of the year, $274 billion of which will be goods and $123 billion of which will be in services.”
He added that Türkiye’s service exports to Africa totaled $6 billion in 2023, while Africa exported $5.1 billion worth of services to Türkiye.
Tourism, he said, continues to grow. In 2024, 1.5 million African tourists visited Türkiye, and 600,000 have visited so far this year.
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Image Credit: TRT Global
