Rome, 28 March – If the presence of Chinese companies in Africa is well known, the same cannot be said of the Turkish ones. Turkish companies not only operate on the black continent, but are now challenging China in the construction of important infrastructure works. The World Bank estimates infrastructure spending in Africa at $300 billion annually, and Ankara-based companies are increasingly determined to gain share in this sector at the expense of those in Beijing.
In Africa, Turkey challenges China (and often wins)
Thus, the number of African countries that choose the companies of the Anatolian giant is growing because they have the reputation of completing large projects on time and within the established costs. An example of this is the 273 km railway that will be built in Uganda to connect the capital Kampala to Malaba. In 2015, the construction of this railway was entrusted to the Chinese company China Harbor Engineering Company, but given that the Dragon company has not started work in eight years, the Ugandan government has decided to award the contract to the Turks of Yapi Merkezi.
It is not an isolated case. Also the company Yapi Merkezi, beat the Chinese in the construction of a railway line in Ethiopia in 2017 and in 2021 was awarded a 900 million dollar contract to build a railway network in Tanzania. And again: in 2019 the Turkish multinational Summa Construction was awarded the contract for the construction of the new Parliament building in Equatorial Guinea, as well as a shopping center in Rwanda and a convention center in Ethiopia. And it is also the Turkish Summa Construction that built the Dakar Arena and the Dakar International Conference Center in Senegal, as well as the Blaise Diagne international airport and Niamey airport in Niger. All at the expense of Chinese companies.
Of course, Beijing companies are still winning other important contracts in Africa, but now they suffer from competition unimaginable until a few years ago. From the point of view of African governments, the Turkish presence appears above all positive as it allows them to put Turkey and China in competition, then opting for companies that offer the best service.
Source: Ilprimato Nazionale
