Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has accelerated the parliamentary approval process for defense industry cooperation agreements with African countries at a time when Ankara is looking to expand its influence further across the African continent.
Following Erdoğan’s visits to Western African countries Senegal and Gambia in January 2020, a defense industry cooperation agreement with Côte d’Ivoire, signed in 2016, was approved by the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Turkish parliament on February 5, 2020. The deal is set to open the Côte d’Ivoire market and that of its Western African neighborhood up to Turkish defense contractors controlled by President Erdoğan.
According to the text of the agreement, obtained by Nordic Monitor, the mechanism covers such areas as the industrial production, procurement and maintenance of military and defense materiel as well as technical and logistical support, information sharing and research in the field.
Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan recently told the state-run Anadolu news agency that Turkey would attach more importance to Africa in 2020, adding that market diversification is important for Turkey because the world faces trade wars and protectionism. Ankara is eager to ink agreements with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on economic and trade collaboration, Pekcan noted following a tour of African countries.
The Turkey-Côte d’Ivoire defense cooperation deal is also in line with recent agreements and developments which confirm that Turkey’s defense sector led by Erdoğan-linked conglomerates will assume a central role in shaping the government’s 2020 Africa policy, increasing its influence and strengthening its presence in West Africa.
