- African Union and the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEİK), will jointly hold the third edition of the Turkey-Africa Economic and Business Forum on Oct. 21-22 in Istanbul.
- The theme of the Forum will be “Deepening Turkey-Africa Partnership: Trade, Investment, and Technology & Logistics”.
African Union and the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEİK), will jointly hold the third edition of the Turkey-Africa Economic and Business Forum on Oct. 21-22 in Istanbul. The first edition was held in 2016 and the second in 2018. Due to the Pandemic restrictions, in 2020, there was a virtual meeting.
The theme of the current Forum is “Deepening Turkey-Africa Partnership: Trade, Investment, Technology & Logistics”. The programme will also include a ministerial meeting, B2B debates, signing ceremonies, and panel discussions. Panel discussions on select focus sectors such as cooperation in agriculture, pandemic, innovation and financing wil also take place..
Among the dignitaries expected to attend the forum are, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo; Albert Muchanga, commissioner for economic development, trade, industry and mining of the African Union Commission, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of World Trade Organization, ministers from Turkey and African countries and chairmen of business associations.
According to Turkey’s official data, the total trade volume between Turkey and the African Continent has increased from 5,4 billion $ in 2003 to 25,3 billion $ in 2020. Turkey’s interest in Africa revived especially in the last 15 years when many countries were pursuing political, military, and commercial initiatives with African nations. Its Africa strategy as per political analysts centered around three pillars: Economic policies, expansion of diplomatic missions, and humanitarian assistance. The number of Turkish embassies rose from 12 in 2003 to 43 by 2021. During his time as Prime Minister and President of Turkey, Recep Tayyi Erdoğan visited nearly 30 African countries. Turkey also believes in promoting soft power. Turkey’s institutions, NGOs, and historical links with various African countries’ cultural and civilizational relations are a big source of soft power.
This Forum is expected to strengthen economic cooperation between Turkey and African Countries in the post-pandemic era and demonstrates the deepening interest of Turkey as a dynamic player in the African business landscape.
