When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan land for Mogadishu for 2011, Somalia dey face serious wahala. Drought and fight don push di East African country wey get 18 million people near starvation. For almost 20 years, no leader from outside Africa don visit di place.

President Erdoğan visit no be just another waka wey dey based on politics and money matter, but e mark di beginning of partnership wey go change di way dem dey relate with Africa.

For di 14 years wey don pass, Turkish contractors don do 2,031 projects wey worth $97 billion for di continent, na wetin Anadolu Agency talk. Turkish Airlines dey land for 62 African cities for 41 countries. About 62,000 African students dey study for Turkish universities.

From Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway, wey dem dey call di most advanced rail network for Africa, to Rwanda Kigali Convention Centre, Senegal 50,000-seat Olympic Stadium and Blaise Diagne International Airport for Dakar, Turkish companies don help change Africa infrastructure.

Turkey partnership with Africa no stop for concrete and steel. Di Maarif Foundation dey run schools for 27 African countries. President Erdoğan don visit 31 African countries 53 times, making am di only world leader wey don waka reach dat level for di continent. Ankara believe say di approach dey based on shared history, mutual understanding and partnership wey go benefit both sides, different from di Western countries wey dey focus on colonial history and dey do like say dem sabi pass.

Ibrahim Mukhtar, wey sabi Turkish-African relations, talk say, "Africa get plenty potential. E be di richest continent for resources. With Turkey willingness to share wetin dem sabi and di way dem dey open to deeper partnership, Africa fit use di opportunity to choose Turkey as better partner among di competitors."

Prof Ahmet Kavas, Turkish diplomat and scholar, explain say di relationship dey different from di usual partnerships. "E be win-win relationship. Turkey dey gain as dem dey help other countries gain. Most times, Africa no dey get better share when dem dey deal with other countries. Di balance suppose dey like 50:50 or at least 40:60, but for Africa, e no even reach 10%. European and some Asian countries dey come for raw materials," e talk.

For Somalia, di partnership with Turkey don show how di relationship dey work. "I believe say Somalia fit get better power with di resources wey dem get," Erdoğan talk for 2011. After dat visit, Turkey start one of di biggest humanitarian efforts wey later expand into bigger cooperation.

Mukhtar talk say Turkey don help build government institutions after di civil war. "Dem don help rebuild ministries, parliament and other institutions. Turkey no dey fear to do dis kind work," e add.

For 2022, Turkey sign agreement with Somalia to train di navy and rebuild di force. Dis dey follow di Camp TURKSOM wey dem build for Mogadishu for 2017 to train Somali soldiers.

Di connection between Turkey and Africa don tey, e start from Ottoman Empire time, especially for North and East Africa. For 1960s, as African countries dey gain independence, Turkey dey support dem. For 2005, Ankara declare di year as "The Year of Africa."

Since di African Union make Turkey strategic partner for 2008, di relationship don grow. African embassies for Turkey don increase from 10 to 38 by 2024, while Turkey embassies for Africa don grow from 12 for 2002 to 44 for 2024. High-level visits between di two sides don pass 500 for di last five years.

Turkish agencies like TIKA, DSİ, Türkiye Diyanet Foundation and Turkish Red Crescent don build wells for countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso and Somalia. TİKA alone get 22 offices for Africa and don do 1,884 projects between 2017 and 2022, including health and agriculture projects.

Di projects include Libya Physiotherapy Hospital, Somalia Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Hospital, Niger-Turkey Friendship Hospital and Nyala Turkish Training and Research Hospital for Sudan. During Covid-19, TİKA support Africa health sector well well.

For Uganda, Turkish Red Crescent install 20 solar-powered wells for Kayunga households. For Djibouti, DSİ build di Ambouli Friendship Dam to stop flooding and help farming.

Trade between Turkey and African countries don grow from $4.3 billion for 2002 to $36.6 billion by 2024. Turkish investments for Africa don increase from $67 million for 2003 to $10 billion for 2024. Turkish contractors don do 2,031 projects wey worth $97 billion for di continent.

Turkey dey also help for defence matter. Di country dey work with African governments to stabilise and provide military support. For 2023, Turkish defence and aerospace exports reach $5.5 billion, and African countries dey benefit from di growth.

Education na big part of Turkey approach. About 62,000 African students dey study for Turkey by di end of 2024, most of dem dey on government scholarship. Di Maarif Foundation dey run over 230 schools for 27 African countries, while Yunus Emre Institute dey teach Turkish language and culture for 18 centres across 15 countries.

Nasir Abu Machano, wey run Izmir Pharmacy Ltd for Tanzania, talk say di scholarship wey e get from Turkey change im life. E meet im wife for Turkey and later return to Tanzania to start business wey don create jobs for plenty people.

Analysts believe say di relationship between Turkey and Africa go continue to grow because e dey based on people, partnership and long-term transformation, no be just economic cooperation. Di partnership don already move beyond di usual development models, as African countries dey gain new ways to grow while Turkey dey expand im global reach.