By Theodore Jones –
Geopolitics, imports of military hardware, security and Covid recovery topped the agenda in the most recent Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit held in Istanbul.
As Turkish President Recep Erdogan sat down with a host of African leaders on December 18, his country’s military dealings with the continent was top of the agenda.
The value of Turkey’s arms sales to Africa in 2021 rose by 700 percent to $328 million, from $41 million in 2020, according to data from Turkey’s General Assembly of Exporters.
President Erdogan said Turkey and African countries agreed on a joint action plan for partnership in peace, security, infrastructure and trade.
African leaders and Ankara adopted a joint declaration that committed them to “further strengthen and deepen the co-operation in the interest of the states and peoples.”
Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Rwanda and Somalia are some of the Eastern African countries that have defence pacts with Ankara, offering a market for rifles, tankers and drones.
Turkey has, in the past two years, deepened ties with the continent, which has resulted in signing several trade and defence pacts. So far, it has signed 16 agreements with African countries as it seeks to make the continent its third-largest export market for defence equipment. The country is renowned for its manufacture of helicopter engines, armoured land vehicles, rockets and missiles, light weapons and defence software.
For the continent, Turkey offers competitive prices for its military hardware, with a no-strings-attached policy. Ankara already has a military base in Somalia and Morocco.