By Rasheed Abubakar, who was in Ankara
From constructing hospitals for Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip in Palestine to providing educational support for orphans in Senegal, Africa, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, TİKA, has become a powerhouse for humanitarian support across the globe.
Established in 1992, the agency now operates 62 overseas offices in 60 countries with over 30,000 projects successfully executed across 170 nations.
“Since its establishment, TİKA has implemented more than 30,000 projects across the world,” the agency stated in a PowerPoint document that showcases its activities, stating that it has executed 1884 projects in Africa, where it opened its first office in Ethiopia in 2005.
With a focus on social infrastructure and sustainable development, TİKA’s projects embrace education, healthcare, vocational training, women’s empowerment, cultural heritage restoration, and training of journalists across five continents.
Muslim News Nigeria was part of the beneficiaries of such media training on “social media and digital media” organised by TIKA in conjunction with TRT, where 19 Nigerian and Mozambican journalists received comprehensive instruction on topics such as digital content creation, digital video storytelling, media journalism, combating disinformation, among others.
Beyond media training, healthcare forms another cornerstone of TİKA’s mission. Among its intervention was the provision of 150-bed Palestine-Turkey Friendship Hospital for the Palestinians which was completed in 2017. It is one of the largest hospitals in Palestine built on an expanse land of 34,800 square metres, consisting of six floors.
The hospital which served as the only cancer centre in Gaza was sadly blown up by Zionist occupation soldiers in early January 2025 in its ongoing genocidal war on Gaza which have claimed the lives of over 60,000 Palestinians, majorly innocent children and armless women.
In Somalia, there is another hospital named after “Recep Tayyip Erdoğan”, dubbed the most modern in East Africa, serving 2 million people and handling 100 operations monthly. “The hospital has an 11-bed capacity postpartum care unit, a 10-bed capacity intensive care unit, with 4 operating rooms.
TİKA provides transportation support for people with disabilities in #Kazakhstan 🇰🇿🇹🇷
A specially equipped transportation vehicle with a ramp system has been delivered to the Rehabilitation Center for People with Disabilities in Aktau. pic.twitter.com/n1eDo719rq
— TİKA (@tika_english1) July 8, 2025
In Sudan, the Nyala Turkey Training and Research Hospital not only provides medical services but also serves as a regional training hub.
Similarly, in Pakistan, TİKA established the Children’s Pediatric Clinic in Islamabad, dramatically improving hygiene and medical outcomes.
TIKA didn’t only build shelters for victims of disasters including the recent flood in Libya, the agency has built thousands of housing units in the Gaza Strip which was handed over to Palestine’s Housing Ministry. The edifices were built for those with special needs who had lost their homes in Israel’s military onslaught against the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, most of the houses have been razed by the occupation soldiers in the ongoing genocide.
In the Republic of Niger, TİKA built a boarding school with a sports complex – a country with female literacy rate of just 15.1%. “By this school, both girls and boys who didn’t have a chance to go to school before, found the opportunity to receive education contemporarily.”
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency has also carried out extensive renovation work at Kano Capital School in Kano, Nigeria, among others. But with limited or less impacts in the southern parts of the country, where President Erdogan has overwhelming supporters especially among the Muslim population.
In Colombia, the agency made a significant peace-time contribution by constructing a school in Orejon—FARC’s former territory—at an altitude of 1800 meters.
Nobel Laureate President Santos inaugurated the school, and locals wished “a peaceful and bountiful life” upon the Turkish public.
TİKA provided next-generation media equipment to media organizations in Bangsamoro, #Philippines🇵🇭
📡🎥By strengthening the capacity of media organizations to deliver fast and high-quality content from the field, a reliable and robust news network has been established to ensure… pic.twitter.com/qQhWANkAGb
— TİKA (@tika_english1) July 1, 2025
TİKA’s education efforts also reached Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, and Palestine, equipping and renovating schools and establishing new education facilities. In Georgia, they revitalized the AISI Disability Center, enabling inclusive vocational training through “The Road to Equality” project.
In the realm of vocational training, TİKA’s efforts include the MESİP programme, which trained 548 people in Fhotovoltaic energy systems, microcontroller programming, welding & metal works.
Women Empowerment is another core objective of TIKA. In Madagascar, Emine Erdoğan, Turkiye’s First Lady, inaugurated a women vocational training center equipped for culinary, gardening, and textile training.
In Cameroon, TİKA renovated the historic TSINGA Women and Family Training Center for the first time since its construction in 1960.
The development agency is also restoring Islamic and Ottoman heritage sites globally. Notable examples include the Ketchaoua Mosque in Algeria, Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic Bridge in Bosnia, and the Dome of the Rock’s finial in Palestine. “Wherever it reaches and strengthens the ties to our spiritual and mental roots,” the agency noted.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, TİKA’s emergency response included distributing medical equipment to Namibia, Venezuela, and Uzbekistan, training healthcare workers online, and building mobile clinics in Mexico.
“TİKA’s distribution of hot meals continued without interruption… over 1 million benefited,” they reported on aid to Arakanese Muslims in Bangladesh.
In terms of international standing, TİKA’s work together with other Turkish donors, has earned Turkiye recognition as “the most generous country for its humanitarian assistance in 2020,” with a humanitarian assistance-to-GNI ratio of 0.98% and a total aid volume of $8.036 billion.
Pediatric Health Screenings in #Azerbaijan 🇦🇿
🥼💉TİKA is organizing health examinations for children in five regions, starting from Ucar.
⚕️ Screenings in pediatrics, cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, and eye health ensure early diagnosis and access to treatment for… pic.twitter.com/PfuGMQzzwv
— TİKA (@tika_english1) June 23, 2025
Conducting projects complying with the principle of avoiding high administrative costs, TİKA also brings a moral criticism to international donor community, pointing out the usual high share of administrative costs of projects that are creating profitable jobs (in other words “NGO business”), instead of charity.
Unlike many other local and international agencies that overtly or covertly sponsor terrorism, and embellish their aids with strings, TIKA stands out as a professional and official representative of “wakf” tradition guided by the ethics of Islam and humanity.
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