Wednesday (October 20th): Erdoǧan in Africa

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - Turkey
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Name? Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Westphalian identity? Turkish

Age? 67

Why is he in the news? Turkish President Erdoǧan has embarked on his four-day journey to Africa, first stopping in the Angolan capital of Luanda and later Nigeria and Togo. Erdoǧan aims to discuss future prospects for heightened economic, geostrategic and military cooperation between Turkey and their respective nations. 

Why do we care? Erdoǧan’s not-so-recent commitment to the African continent has been one to watch, due to his ideological ties to neo-ottamanisation. Since 2002, the number of Turkish embassies has more than tripled and trade has increased almost five-fold, exploding the influence of Turkey in Africa. Though as we see a new ‘scramble for Africa’ take place, the long-term growth effects of Turkey’s budding relations remain to be seen. 

Why should you care? Turkey has previously committed itself to investment within Africa at a state and private level. Though the Turkish private industries are salient in Africa, military and drone sales have made new headlines on the continent. Recently, Turkey sold military drones to Morocco and Ethiopia, which is also not their first time selling drones in Africa. Last time he sold drones to another country, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict took an ugly turn. Therefore you should care 8/10 of Erdoǧan’s drones in Western Sahara or Tigray. 

Who else cares? Emmanuel Macron has previously accused Erdoǧan of promoting an “anti-French” sentiment. Erdogan did this recently, stating, “Our relations with Africa are not based on colonialism,” clearly taking a shot at France, whose influence in Africa is slowly slipping. As relations between Ankara and Paris continue its rhetorical hostility, Macron will see Erdoǧan’s trip critically and competitively. 

Any further comments? This trip is the 46th visit to African states by Erdoǧan and marks his 30th African country visited. It doesn’t stop here, as Erdoǧan will host the Turkey-Africa Economy and Business Summit and the Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit, deepening his commitment to Africa.