Türkiye is set to deploy its fishing vessels to Somali waters as part of a major strategic partnership aimed at helping Somalia harness a marine fortune estimated at nearly $2 billion annually, a top Turkish diplomat announced this week.
Speaking at the National Fisheries Week 2025 conference in Mogadishu, Turkish Ambassador to Somalia Alper Aktaş delivered a powerful promise, framing the new cooperation as the next chapter in a series of transformative projects between the two nations.
“There is a fortune of nearly two billion dollars’ worth of resources awaiting in the ocean every year. God willing, this year, Turkish fishing vessels will join efforts to claim that share, and our Somali brothers and sisters will finally use it in the way they rightfully deserve,” Ambassador Aktaş declared.
Drawing a direct line between past promises and future action, he dismissed potential skepticism. “Just as we have kept our word in hydrocarbons, petroleum, and natural gas, so too will we keep our promise in fisheries,” he said, referencing a list of landmark Turkish projects in Somalia.
Greater projects
“When we declared that we would build the largest Turkish embassy in the world in Mogadishu, many doubted us... When we announced plans to establish the largest Turkish military training centre... When we spoke of bringing Turkish helicopters to fight terrorism... they laughed. My dear brothers and sisters, do not give heed to those who try to shake our faith. We will achieve even greater projects together.”
The ambassador’s announcement is the culmination of a year of high-level diplomatic and commercial engagement. The foundation was laid in December 2024, when Somalia’s Fisheries Minister Ahmed Hassan Aden met with Türkiye’s Minister of Agriculture, İbrahim Yumaklı, in Ankara.
There, Yumaklı proposed a “win-win” model for Turkish entrepreneurs to operate in Somalia and suggested forming a technical committee to guide the collaboration.
This was followed by a Turkish delegation visiting Mogadishu in February 2025 to explore investment opportunities, a visit explicitly linked to the broader defence and economic cooperation agreement between the two countries.
Deepening Türkiye-Somalia partnership
These talks materialised into a concrete partnership in June 2025, when Somalia’s Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy signed a strategic agreement with Türkiye’s OYAK Group.
The deal targets direct investment in fisheries infrastructure, enhancing fish production and quality for international markets, establishing processing industries to create jobs, and bolstering mechanisms to combat illegal fishing.
The deepening partnership comes as Somalia aggressively reforms its legal and regulatory frameworks to attract foreign investment.
The Somali government recently unveiled new standard operating procedures (SOPs) for licencing fishing vessels and the Federal Parliament passed a comprehensive Fisheries and Marine Resources Law.
'Ready for business'
These reforms, aimed at aligning Somalia with international maritime laws and sustainable fishing practices, have signalled to stakeholders, led by Türkiye, that the nation is ready for business.
With some of the most resource-rich waters in the Western Indian Ocean, this collaboration is poised to transform Somalia into a leading player in global fish production, boosting its blue economy and providing vital employment for its youth.
