Turkey wants to present itself as a provider of opportunities for African states, from an economic, humanitarian and political point of view. While European countries often are seen as difficult partners who set conditions for engagement, Turkey is consistent in that it never tries to impose ideas or persuade partners to do things in a certain way, according to Federico Donelli, Turkey expert and researcher at the University of Trieste.

The Turkish approach is now paying back, according to Donelli.

“Turkey promotes the idea that African states can follow their own path and not a path decided by someone else,” Donelli says.

This is an important factor behind Turkey’s success in Africa, which has psychological rather than pragmatic reasons, he argues.