Examining Foreign Development Assistance in Africa through Emerging Power Dynamics: A Focus on Turkey’s Engagement in the Horn of Africa

Abstract

In the last two and a half decades of the 21st century, a modern-day “scramble” for Africa, led by traditional Western powers, has taken shape. This coincides with Africa’s expanding external relations, notably with non-traditional powers like Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS). The emerging powers share an objective of advancing their interests in Africa, particularly through exploiting its strategic resources. Turkey has also joined this narrative, yet existing scholarly literature focuses disproportionately on the BRICS, sidelining other players like Turkey. This article addresses this gap by comprehensively investigating Turkey’s distinctive role and its ramifications in Africa. It specifically probes Turkey’s contributions to development in the Horn of Africa, encompassing diverse forms of aid and investments. Turkey strategically wields soft power tools, including humanitarian aid, loans, grants, and technical expertise, to bolster its political and economic sway, thus fostering trade and investment prospects across the Horn of Africa. This engagement has been warmly received, particularly in nations like Somalia and Ethiopia, which have long sought constructive developmental partnerships. This development assistance, however needs to be taken with caution and accompanied by a clear strategy on the mode of response by the Horn of Africa countries in regards to self-guarding themselves from being sucked into a deeper dependence relationship where power is heavily weighted in favor of global powers. This necessitates a clear roadmap to prevent unwarranted dependency on external forces and to preserve a balanced power dynamic. In essence, this study underscores the importance of equitable engagement for sustainable growth and self-determination in the continent.