Turkey Boosts Business Ties With Africa
An audience of Turks and Kurds, gathered in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan's capital, waited with bated breath as the Turkish consul-general took the stage. He was to address a gathering organised by followers of Turkey's most powerful Sunni cleric, Fetullah Gülen, who has long preached friendship between Turks and Iraqi Kurds. During his short speech, the Turkish envoy, Huseyin Avni Botsali, uttered the word “Kurdish” only twice: a measure of how edgy Turkey still feels about the Iraqi Kurds' autonomy and the impact it may have on its own 14m-odd Kurds. That is also why Mr Botsali is based in Mosul, a dangerous city in Arab Iraq, rather than in Erbil, in the safety of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Turkish President Abdullah Gül's high-profile visit to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Friday and later to Tanzania, accompanied by more than 120 businessmen, represents the latest attempt by Turkish officials to boost trade relations with Africa. Gül's official three-day visit, the first by a Turkish president to sub-Saharan nations, came after Turkey hosted the Africa Summit in İstanbul last August, during which a framework for development and cooperation between Turkey and Africa was adopted.
The trip is also a way to thank African countries for supporting Turkey's bid for a seat on the UN Security Council, which began in January and is set to last for two years. "We have responsibilities in Africa. Sixty percent of issues on the agenda of the UN Security Council are related to Africa, including unresolved political issues, security issues and humanitarian issues. … As a member of the UN Security Council, we have to closely know and deal with these problems," Gül said before departing for Kenya.
Diversifying trade markets and seeking more export opportunities seem to be providing a breather to Turkish businesses hurt by crisis-driven contraction in European and US markets, Turkey's traditional trading partners.
Thanks to the opening up of African, Eastern European and Asian markets spearheaded by the government along with trade groups such as the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), many analysts say the Turkish economy has, to a certain degree, been able to cushion off the negative impacts of the global economic crisis.
Despite the trade volume between Turkey and African countries hovering at low figures for quite some time, the last couple of years have witnessed a positive trend. Trade volume in 2003 amounted to $5.4 billion, before shooting up to $13 billion in 2007 and reaching close to $17 billion in 2008. Turkey's exports to Africa stood at $9.1 billion in 2008 -- up from $5.9 billion in 2007. A smaller growth rate was observed in Turkey's import figures; imports from the continent rose to $7.8 billion in 2008, up from $6.8 billion in 2007.
Turkey is said to be developing a new program that caters to African countries, especially those in the sub-Saharan region, with foreign direct investment (FDI) to boost trade. Kenya is an important hub and gateway to markets in the East African Community (EAC), with a population of 100 million, and the wider Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), with a population of 500 million consumers. Turkish Foreign Trade Minister Kürşad Tüzmen was quoted as saying, "We are targeting $50 billion by the year 2012," at last year's TUSKON-organized trade bridge with Africa summit.
In Nairobi, Gül and Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga signed a dozen protocols covering trade and economic development, aviation and the health sector. In a joint press briefing, they said that under the trade and economic development, Turkey would increase investments in infrastructure development, the textile industry, agricultural machinery and equipment, building, tourism, construction and pharmaceuticals, among others, while Kenya would export more produce to Turkey. The aviation protocol has already been put into effect and Turkish Airlines (THY) began direct flights to Nairobi on Friday. The airline will fly from İstanbul to Nairobi three times a week. Kenyan Airways will also be flying to Turkey on a weekly basis. In a symbolic move, both countries also signed an agreement lifting visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders.
To complement infrastructural development on mutual trade, Turkey has for some time now been providing technical assistance and educational programs to African countries, and new projects are under way to enhance these programs. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has decided to open new embassies and consulates in some African countries. It currently has 12 embassies and more than 23 honorary consulates throughout Africa. The Foreign Ministry opened a new embassy in Dar es Salaam during the president's visit to Tanzania. Turkey's first ambassador to this country, Şandar Gürbüz, accompanied the president on his trip.
In the meantime, the Trade Undersecretariat is also working to expand its representation at the attaché level in a number of countries. The Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) currently has three offices on the continent and would like to open new ones to support technical education in African countries.
TİKA's Nairobi office is already involved in development projects in Kenya and provides assistance to infrastructure projects. "These reforms are necessary in attracting foreign investors to this country, and I can assure you that through TİKA Turkey will invest in Kenya's economic development," President Gül said in Nairobi. The Turkish government is coordinating with the UN Habitat to renovate slum neighborhoods in Mombasa and is extending scholarship programs for Kenyan students. During his visit Gül also announced a donation of $1 million through the World Food Program toward Kenya's famine relief efforts. "Our relations are not only confined to economic development; we must all take moral responsibility to help each other in all social endeavors as a community of nations," the Turkish president said.
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