The 3rd Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit began Thursday with a meeting of high-level government officials in Istanbul, Turkey’s Communications Directorate said in a statement.
The Summit which is co-organised bt the African Union will hold concurrent sessions on health care, education, and agriculture with relevant ministers. The theme of the third Africa-Turkey Partnership Summit is “Enhanced Partnership for Common Development and Prosperity”
President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will hold meetings with counterparts on the sidelines of the summit.
The summit will ensure the transition of strategic ties between Turkey and the African Union as well as African countries to a new stage, it said.
The third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit is coming on the heels of President Erdogan’s recent State Visit to Nigeria during which several agreements in the fields of energy, defence industry, mining and hydrocarbons were signed to expand existing bilateral ties.
The Turkish leader had, during the visit to Nigeria, affirmed his commitment to immediately expand the volume of trade between the two countries to 5 billion dollars and the Nigerian delegation will seize the opportunity of the gathering in Istanbul to enhance cooperation with other partners for more trade and investment opportunities in the country.
“With the communique, action plan and joint implementation report, expected to be adopted at the summit, relations improving in every area between Turkey and Africa, including the concrete projects to be carried out for the benefit of the continent, will be shaped between 2022 and 2026 until the next summit,” it added.
In August 2021, Ethiopia and Turkey signed water and military financial cooperation in the presence of leaders of the two countries.
Thirty-nine countries and thirteen Presidents are expected at the summit. Among other delegations from other African countries, President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari was accompanied by Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Defence, Bashir Magashi; FCT, Mohammed Bello; Health, Osagie Ehanire; Agriculture, Mohammed Abubakar; Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar. Also in attendance is the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed.