Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Development Cooperation between Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and the AUC.

Mahamat visited TİKA and had a meeting with Serkan Kayalar, TİKA’s President. In the meeting, Kayalar stated that Turkey has deep-rooted relations with Africa and that the improvement in these bilateral and multilateral relations gained momentum in every field with Turkey’s declaration of 2005 as the “Year of Africa”.

Kayalar said, “As the strategic partner of the African Union, Turkey ensures sustainable cooperation in every field based on mutual trust.” He added that the number of Turkish Embassies in Africa, which was 12 in 2002, reached 43 in 2021.

Kayalar noted that African countries were not indifferent to Turkey’s interest in the continent and that the number of the embassies of African countries in Turkey, which was 10 in 2008, reached 37. He added, “Today, Turkey is a major trade partner of many African countries. All our institutions are carrying out important activities in Africa as a result of the improving diplomatic relations under the strong leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the national leader who made the highest number of official visits to Africa. As TİKA, we opened our Ethiopia Office, our first office on the continent, in 2005. Now, we have 22 offices in Africa.”

 “We believe in the future of Africa.”

Kayalar said, “We believe in the future of Africa. We sincerely share our country’s development experience in many fields and implement concrete projects that touch lives.” He also underlined that they have so far carried out nearly 7,000 projects and activities across Africa.

Kayalar stated that Mahamat’s visit added a new and strong link to the relations between TİKA and Africa, and that the new areas of cooperation that would emerge as a result of the signing of the memorandum of understanding would further strengthen their strategic partnership. He thanked Mahamat for his visit. Mahamat noted that they were in close cooperation with Turkey.

Stating that TİKA plays an important role in ensuring cooperation between Turkey and Africa, Mahamat said, “We want to improve our cooperation with countries outside Africa, such as Turkey.”

After the meeting, the parties signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Development Cooperation between the African Union Commission and TİKA. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the aim of ensuring cooperation between TİKA and the AUC in order to contribute to sustainable social and economic development in Africa and third countries; improving the existing friendly relations through development cooperation activities; contributing to global efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals; and conducting experience sharing and development cooperation programs.