The 4th Turkey-Africa Summit to be held in Libya in 2026

The first three editions of the Turkey-Africa Summit were organised in 2008 in Istanbul, in 2014 in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, and in 2021 in Istanbul. Libya will host the fourth Africa-Turkey Summit in 2026, the Libyan Presidential Council announced in a statement published on February 18th.

Indicating that this decision was taken at the 38th African Union (AU) Summit held in Addis Ababa on  February 15th and 16th , the Libyan unified executive body, whose members represent each of Libya’s three historical regions, also stressed the importance for the North African country of hosting the next Turkey-Africa Summit ‘as part of efforts to restore its active role and leadership position on the continent’.

In 2023, Turkey adopted an ‘Africa policy’ that has given a major boost to its presence on the continent. Bilateral trade has risen from $3 billion in 2003 to almost $41 billion in 2022, while Turkish companies have completed 1977 infrastructure projects worth a cumulative $91.6 billion in Africa as of mid-November 2024, according to Turkish vice-president Cevdet Yılmaz.

According to the International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), Turkey is the fourth largest arms exporter to Africa, thanks in particular to strong demand for its famous Bayraktar TB2 drones and Kirpi armoured vehicles.

The Turkish army also provides training to certain African security forces, as is the case in Libya and Somalia. In Mogadishu, Turkey has built a military centre to train the Somali army in the fight against the extremist group Al-Shebab.

source: ecofin