Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday marked Africa Day and the anniversary of the African Union’s founding, reaffirming Türkiye’s solidarity and long-standing ties with the African continent.
In a message shared on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, Erdoğan extended his congratulations on the occasion of May 25 Africa Day and the 63rd anniversary of the African Union.
“I wholeheartedly congratulate the May 25 Africa Day and the anniversary of the founding of the African Union, and send my love and respect to all our friends and all my African brothers and sisters across the African continent, with whom we share strong historical and human ties,” he said.
Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement commemorating the day, describing Africa Day as a symbol of “peace, freedom, unity and solidarity” across the continent.
The ministry reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment as a strategic partner of the African Union, pledging continued cooperation in development, justice and peace based on mutual trust and a win-win approach.
It also highlighted ongoing preparations for the Fourth Türkiye–Africa Partnership Summit scheduled for 2026, which is expected to further deepen political, economic and strategic relations between both sides.
“In this framework, we are meticulously continuing preparations for the Fourth Türkiye-Africa Partnership Summit, which we aim to hold this year and which will provide an opportunity to further advance our cooperation,” the statement said.
It added that Türkiye and Africa would continue working together to promote peace, prosperity and stability at both regional and international levels.
In a related gesture, the Turkish Embassy in Nigeria joined the commemoration of Africa Day by retweeting posts from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, further underscoring Ankara’s diplomatic engagement and solidarity with African nations, including Nigeria.
According to ministry sources, Türkiye’s engagement with Africa began with its Africa Opening Policy launched in 1998 and later evolved into the Africa Partnership Policy in 2013.
Over the past 25 years, relations between Türkiye and African countries have expanded significantly across political, trade, security, defense, cultural and development sectors.
Türkiye increased the number of its embassies across Africa from 12 in 2002 to 44 by 2024, while the number of African embassies in Türkiye rose from 10 in 2008 to 38 in 2024. Mozambique and Botswana most recently decided to open embassies in Türkiye.
Economic ties have also strengthened. Türkiye signed trade and economic cooperation agreements with 50 African countries, investment agreements with 32 countries and defense industry cooperation agreements with 29 countries.
Trade volume between Türkiye and Africa rose from $4.3 billion in 2002 to approximately $40 billion by the end of 2025, according to the ministry.
Turkish investments in Africa reached $10 billion in 2024, up from $67 million in 2003, while Turkish contractors completed projects worth a combined $97 billion across the continent by the end of 2025.
The relationship has also expanded through education and development initiatives. Around 65,000 African students are currently pursuing higher education in Türkiye, while Türkiye has supported major health projects in Somalia, Sudan and Niger.
Türkiye became an observer to the African Union in 2005 and was declared a strategic partner by the bloc in 2008. Since then, three Türkiye-Africa Partnership Summits have been held, with the latest taking place in Istanbul in 2021, under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Preparations are also ongoing for the fourth summit scheduled for 2026.
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