Türkiye increases its influence in West Africa – what is behind tender power care

Türkiye increases its influence in West Africa when the geopolitical and economic landscape in the region changes. In Senegal, the State Turkish oil corporation He introduced a key partnership In the oil and gas sector. Meanwhile, KarpowershipA company providing electricity through floating power plants, now provides energy Eight African countries. But Türkiye does not stop there. As part of the tender power strategy, he also acquires hearts and minds through education and culture, while deepening trade and security bonds.

Historian Issouf Binatéwho studied Turkey A growing presence in West AfricaHe spreads the way Ankara positions himself as an alternative to both former colonial powers and newer global players competing for influence on the continent.

What is the propagating the growing influence of Turkey in West Africa?

Turkey’s foreign policy in West Africa is based on two main pillars.

One of them is institutional power, managed by agencies supported by the state (embassy, ​​management of religious matters Religiousand Economic Cooperation Agency (Tika) .

The second is more bottom -up, led by non -state actors, such as religious foundations and non -governmental organizations.

These groups laid the basis for African expansion in Turkey long before the official entry of Ankar.

The key player in the earlier range of Turkey was the Gülen movement, named after the preacher Fethullah Gulen (1941–2024). The movement of Gülen was a pioneer of Turkey Soft power The approach to “Turkish schools”, starting from the Yavuz Sultan Sultan and Yavuz Selim-Bosfore high school in Dakar in 1997.

Also in the behind schedule 1990s, a network consisting of Turkish business leaders and social activists under the Turkish confederation of businessmen and industrialists, which demanded over 100,000 member companies, expanded the impact of Turkey in Africa. At that time, Türkiye had only three diplomatic representations for all of sub -Saharan Africa.

Newer contact with Africa appears at a time when Western hegemony faces the growing criticism of the modern generation of Africans involved in decolonial movements. Institutions related to Gülen number 113, together with religious and secular schools run by other groups, such as Mahmud Hudayi Foundation AND Hayrat Foundation. From 2016 Political gap Between Gülen and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, these schools were gradually transferred to the Maarif Foundation, a state foreign educational arm.

In 2003, Türkiye was only 12 diplomatic missions throughout Africa. Today, this number has increased to 44, strengthened by Turkish religious foundations (such as Mahmud Hudayi Vakfi and Hayrat Vakfi), NGOs and entrepreneurs who filled the gap left by the Gülen movement.

Another powerful player in the African strategy is Turkey Turkish AirlinesNow one of the best carriers on the continent. He is now flying at 62 airports in 41 African countries.

What role do West African students in Turkey play?

By investing in education, Türkiye not only opened its door for African students. He also planted seeds for a long -term influence strategy. These students and widely teenage African migrants trained in Turkey belong to the main departments of “Turkey” at home.

In this way, Ankara follows the well -known path used by colonial powers. They used students’ mobility as a powerful tool for their diplomacy.

This openness policy took A few forms. Already in 1960 he welcomed students from territories outside of it According to the resolution of the UN General Assembly.

Then in the 1990s Türkiye continued this effort through a scholarship program for African students, supported by Islamic Development Bank. During this period, Türkiye launched Büyük Öğrenci Projects (Great Student Project), which provided scholarships for foreign students.

Starting from 2012, this program was changed as YTB (Yurtdışı Türkle Ve Akraba Toplulukar Başkanlığı or Directorate for Turks abroad and related communities). Introduced reforms, including a digital application process for scholarships through Application on the YTB website. This change caused a dramatic boost in interest. Applications have increased with 10,000 to 155,000 In the years 2012–2020.

In the case of students from outside scholaming, simplified visa trials Türkiye, reduced fees for tuition fees and offered other encouragements. These measures contributed to a significant boost in the number of applicants to research in Turkey. Since the number of universities in Turkey increased from 76 to 193 in 2003–2015, the country became more and more attractive.

According to Turkey, Türkiye has become the 13th most popular place for students from Sub -Saharan, according to Campus France (Platform supporting foreign students studying in France). Until 2019, 61,000 African students studying in Turkey are estimated.

Now, almost three decades of this strategy, many of these former students take modern roles. They take over from Turkish entrepreneurs, supporting social and economic ties with Africa. They also act as bridges, promoting Turkish universities and supporting visitors in areas such as medical and industrial tourism.

In Istanbul, Some run freight companies – some of them informal – send goods to Africa. Others are working on formalizing these projects and building long -term economic bridges. Groups like Our AfricaThe network of African Turkish speakers and the Federation of African students in Turkey (founded in 2019) play a key role in shaping the next distribution of relations with Turkey and Africa.

What is the difference between Turkey’s strategy in West Africa and the strategy of China or France?

To sum up, Turkey’s strategy is not different from the strategy of France or China. He also has traces of colonial thinking, despite the fact that his approach is based more on religious tender power, such as building mosques throughout Africa. Unlike France, which has used strength in its colonial past, Türkiye is trying to get influence with other means. He uses known tools: embassies, schools, cinema, security services and development agencies.

However, Türkiye learned about the criticism of which Western powers faced at a key moment in the global relations of Africa.

While access to Europe, the USA and Canada have become more hard due to stricter visa principles, Türkiye has opened its doors. He facilitated visa procedures for African business, expanded universities and promoted medical tourism.

Türkiye has become a center for several sectors. It is the main center of nose (nose), hair transplants and textiles. His textile industry now provides traders on Makola Market in Akra, the Adjamé forum on the ivory coast and Grand Marché in Bamako.

Türkiye also used the security crisis in Sahel, in which the military presence of France became controversial. He fell, selling Bayraktar TB2 and offering private security services to some governments.

Is this Turkish presence hard-wearing?

The presence of Turkey in Africa is now evident in several symbolic ways. You can see it Maarif schoolsIN wall paintings At the Airport in Abidjan, the “Le Istanbul” restaurant in the Niamey government district or National Mosque in AkraModeled after the blue Mosque of Istanbul.

Turkey’s involvement is in progress. But its range of Africa already brings results. Commercial volume reached USD 40.7 billion in 2022. The return of the first waves of African students trained in Turkey changed dynamics. Cooperation is no longer based on Turkish business and social entrepreneurs.

Although the African elites often speak English, French or Arabic, modern voices appear. Teenage people trained in Turkey are starting to find their place. Much works in the field of import, construction and even Islamic exports religious leadership. This trend indicates promising long -term ties.

In Turkey, Africa is a continent with great economic possibilities. It will become a trusted partner is now a key goal. Türkiye gained at the diplomatic level Observer status in the African Union in 2005 and he hosted Türkiye-Africa In Istanbul since 2008.

This growing commitment suggests that the role of Turkey in Africa will probably last. This will depend on the needs of the continent’s market, especially since many African countries think about their relations with conventional Western powers and international institutions.