Erdoğan kicks off tour of Africa

Ankara's efforts to become one of the main allies and trading partners on the African continent - and thus increase its geopolitical power - continue. This time it is the turn of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began a four-day tour of Africa with an official visit to the Congolese capital of Kinshasa on Sunday, where the leaders of the two countries met to strengthen economic, political and security cooperation. This was made public in an official communiqué issued by the office of the Congolese Presidency.

Following the reception of Erdoğan - together with a large delegation of Turkish officials and businessmen - by his Congolese counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, the leaders concluded the signing of several agreements on defence, infrastructure and transport. These are in addition to the three pacts reached last year on mutual investment promotion and protection, as well as the prevention of tax evasion, double taxation on income, and tourism. 

Since Erdoğan launched the 'Strategic Africa' policy in 2003 to boost ties with the continent, understanding and mutually beneficial agreements have marked relations between Kinshasa and Ankara. Now, after almost two decades of efforts to strengthen its presence in the DRC, bilateral Turkish-Congolese trade is worth almost $40 million (more than 35 million euros). In this regard, the bilateral meetings held in Ankara in September 2021 and in Istanbul in December of the same year - in the framework of the third Turkey-Africa summit - have given a good account of these promising relations for Ankara. 

Similarly, the meeting between Congolese Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde and a large group of Turkish businessmen in Kinshasa last October led to the closing of numerous investments in the fields of agriculture, energy, trade and infrastructure. 

President Erdoğan's next destination on his African tour will be the Senegalese capital of Dakar. There, the president is scheduled to attend, along with other heads of state and government, the inauguration ceremony of the Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, where the next Youth Olympic Games will take place. The stadium has been described as "a state-of-the-art jewel" in tribute to Senegalese football and, built by an Ottoman company, is estimated to have a capacity of 50,000 spectators. 

During his stay in Dakar, Erdoğan will also officially inaugurate the new Turkish Embassy building in the Senegalese capital.

Last but not least, the four-day trip will conclude in Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday 23 February. Erdoğan's visit to Bissau is of historical significance for the country, as it is the first official visit by an Ottoman president to the African territory. 

In global terms, one of the main purposes of this trip for Ankara is to strengthen trade. The Ottoman businessmen who have travelled with Erdoğan plan to invest in African energy and mining industries in the coming months, which will increase the volume of trade to 250 million dollars (around 220 million euros). 

Over the past 15 years, the roadmap set out by 'Strategic Africa' has led Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to visit the continent almost 40 times and to more than 30 new embassies in the territory. Indeed, in an attempt to reach out to African peoples and improve their perception of Turkey, the president has even begun to refer to his country as an 'Afro-Eurasian state'. 

However, Ankara's image among Africans is already considerably positive. Despite Turkey's multidimensional influence on the continent, its entry into the African Union as an observer member, its declaration as a "strategic partner" for the continent, the holding of three Turkey-Africa summits and its Muslim ties with the African population have allowed Ankara to be ranked number eight among the countries with the best perception for the African people.  

Thus, while some voices such as that of Turkey's ambassador to South Africa, Elif Ulgen, argue that Ankara's entry into the continent is easy because it has no interests with "colonial baggage", Erdoğan will continue to strengthen its relations with Africa as one of the main foreign policy guidelines to mitigate the pressing internal crisis - economic, political and social - facing the country.