This policy outlook assesses three dimensions of Turkey’s engagement in Somalia, in a bid to gauge to what extent Ankara’s decade of aid and state-building in Somalia has been effective.
Over the past decade, Turkish engagement in Somalia has served bilateral relations well. Somalia benefits from Turkish aid projects to help avert famines and fuel its post-conflict reconstruction process. The next Somali administration will likely continue the current trajectory and Turkey will remain popular among Somalis for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, Somalia has profoundly impacted Turkey’s profile as a middle power eager to increase its engagement with Africa. Somalia has become Turkey’s gateway to Sub-Saharan Africa, creating new opportunities for Ankara’s foreign policy in the region, and enhancing its status as a global actor.
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