TÜRKİYE'S FOREIGN AID TO AFRICA UNDER AK PARTY: A CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH

Abstract

Türkiye pursued a Western-cantered foreign policy from the Second World War to the beginning of the 2000s. However, in the early 2000s, the country attempted to restore Ottoman heritage by turning East under the banner of neo-Ottomanism. Türkiye's geopolitical and historical characteristics have played a strategic role in pursuing multifaceted foreign policy. Türkiye's relations with Africa improved throughout the 1990s, peaking during the AK Party's reign. Turkish-African relations have political, economic, and cultural dimensions. Foreign aid, on the other hand, is regarded as one of the most important components of Türkiye's soft power on the continent. Ankara now implements humanitarian and development projects in more than 40 African countries through state agencies and non-governmental organizations such as TIKA and IHH.
 Using constructivism, this study attempts to investigate the driving factors behind Türkiye's foreign aid to Africa during the AK Party era. Consequently, this article concluded that Türkiye's foreign policy toward Africa, especially foreign aid, is primarily shaped by historical, social, religious, and cultural values. Türkiye's status as the Ottoman Empire's heir and a member of the Islamic Cooperation Organization (OIC), along with 28 African countries, allows the country to interact with the continent on historical, social, religious, and cultural levels.