In his address at the First Broadcasting Summit organised by the TRT-Africa Union of Broadcasting and the Launch Ceremony of TRT Afrika, Presidency’s Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said, “Notwithstanding the Western media's negative perception of Africa, Anadolu Agency and TRT introduce our country's human and justice-oriented stance in the regional and global arenas into international broadcasting.”
Director of Communications Altun thanked African countries for supporting Türkiye in the wake of the earthquakes that struck Kahramanmaraş, impacted eleven provinces, and are called the "disaster of the century."
Director of Communications Altun expressed his delight in hosting African friends in İstanbul, hoping that the event will further improve the thriving relations between the nations and expand chances for cooperation.
Director of Communications Altun underlined that Türkiye, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has taken significant strides over the past two decades to strengthen friendship and cooperation with African countries and that they have observed ties with African countries that are founded on a win-win understanding, equal stakeholder involvement, and trust grow stronger each day.
Drawing attention to the fact that the Turkish policy on Africa is implemented in the political, humanitarian, economic, and cultural spheres on bilateral, regional, continental, and global scales, Director of Communications Altun said, “In Africa, where we also share historical ties, we have never had a colonial past, and we have consistently rejected colonial attitudes toward the continent. As the legacy of one of the world's greatest empires, Türkiye has a unique position in international politics and history. This significance puts us in an advantageous position in our ties with countries in Africa.”
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that current cooperation with the nations on the continent is based on an equal partnership and mutual benefit and that they seek to contribute to Africa's peace and stability, as well as its economic and social development, stating that they are now operating under the premise "African solutions to African problems."
Director of Communications Altun stated that President Erdoğan, who places a premium on ties with the African continent and its states, has made more than 50 visits to over 30 African nations and hosted dozens of African leaders in Türkiye.
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that the presence of diplomatic missions in African nations is essential for strengthening connections with the continent, adding:
"Türkiye has 44 active embassies in Africa, whereas we had only 12 in 2002. We are glad that the number of African embassies in Ankara, which stood at ten in 2008, has increased to 38 today. On the other hand, we do not refrain from sharing our opportunities, resources, and experience with our African friends. Our Ministry of Health, TİKA (Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency), Turkish Red Crescent, Türkiye Diyanet Foundation, and non-governmental organisations continue their humanitarian and development aid efforts throughout Africa. The hospitals of our Ministry of Health in Niger, Somalia, and Sudan treat hundreds of thousands of patients in the region.
The Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) is present throughout Africa as part of its development assistance. With its humanitarian aid efforts in Africa, the Turkish Red Crescent reaches millions of needy individuals. Our institutions and organisations, such as the Yunus Emre Institute (YEE), the Turkish Maarif Foundation, and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), continue to support our African brothers and sisters. Between 2009 and 2019, our official development assistance for 46 ‘least developed countries,’ 33 of which are African countries, totalled $2.5 billion, while our total development assistance reached $8.7 billion. To date, over 15 thousand of our African brothers and sisters have been awarded Türkiye Scholarships. Thousands of African brothers and sisters in our country attend university on their own dime. More than 60 thousand African brothers and sisters are pursuing higher education in our country. Therefore, Türkiye invests in the future of Africa and thrives in its prosperous future. On the other hand, Turkish Airlines flies back and forth between the continent and our country, connecting Africa to the rest of the globe."
"Türkiye stands by Africa in all fields"
Director of Communications Altun stated that one of the concrete examples of developing relations with Africa is the exponentially increasing trade data based on the "win-win" principle, noting that Anadolu Agency (AA) and TRT play a key role in explaining developments in Africa to the international community.
Director of Communications Altun noted that trade volume with the continent, which was $4 billion at the turn of the 21st century, reached $40.7 billion by the end of 2022, an increase of more than tenfold.
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that the volume of projects undertaken by Turkish contracting firms in Africa exceeds $82 billion and that the total value of direct investments in Africa is around $7 billion.
Highlighting that Turkish companies were embraced by African peoples as "solution partners" in all fields, particularly infrastructure, energy, defence, and food, Director of Communications Altun said, "As can be seen, Türkiye stands by and will continue to stand by Africa in all fields, from education to health, from development aid to economic cooperation, from security to infrastructure investments. This special relationship that Türkiye has established with African countries also sets an example for the world."
Emphasising that relations with Africa were among the priorities of Turkish foreign policy, Director of Communications Altun said:
"Our country's approach to Africa is fully consistent with the founding principles of the African Union. We build our relationships on the pillars of integrity, inclusivity, equal partnership, and trust. In addition to our bilateral relations with the continent's countries, we also attach great importance to cooperation with other regional and international organisations, particularly the African Union. We strive to reach higher and better heights by achieving, developing and prospering together."
Stating that Türkiye, unlike Western countries in particular, does not take a one-sided and temporary approach towards Africa and the people of this continent, Director of Communications Altun said, "On the contrary, Türkiye shows its African brothers and sisters with all the steps it takes that its interest in the continent is based on sincere, long-term, and mutual benefit. We are also delighted that this approach is bearing fruit in Africa."
Director of Communications Altun noted that the third Türkiye-Africa Partnership Summit, one of the significant efforts in terms of ties built with the "partnership of equals" concept, was held in İstanbul in 2021 and hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Altun said:
"The decisions made at this summit, which included 38 African countries and catapulted our relations with the continent to new heights, are the ones we will put into action in close collaboration with all of our African partners. One of the decisions made at this summit is to improve cooperation and coordination between Türkiye and African countries in media and communication. One significant move we took in this context was the Türkiye-Africa Media Forum, organised by the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications on Africa Day, May 25. With this forum, we hoped to increase collaboration and coordination between Turkish and African media and communication institutions, share experiences, and build a partnership perspective.
We then worked hard to turn the new collaboration prospects that emerged at this event into tangible results. Today, we are once again gathered for the two of these tangible results. One of them is the First Broadcasting Summit, held for the first time in cooperation with our country's public broadcaster, TRT, and the African Union of Broadcasting. This summit brings together media organisations and executives from Türkiye and Africa. The summit, which will allow for the exchange of ideas and experiences on advancements in the field of broadcasting with inputs from senior executives and specialists, will also open up new avenues for collaboration. We are extremely delighted that TRT, which became an Associate Member of the African Union of Broadcasting at the third Türkiye-Africa Partnership Summit in December 2021, has strengthened its engagement and cooperation with African media outlets. I hope that the First Broadcasting Summit jointly held by TRT and the African Union of Broadcasting will yield auspicious outcomes for our countries and will continue in the years to come."
"TRT has raised the number of international news platforms to seven"
Expressing that the launch of the TRT Afrika digital channel was another key event for those attending the summit, Director of Communications Altun stated that TRT Afrika is one of the most recent manifestations of Türkiye’s genuine interest in and friendly attitude toward the continent in the field of media.
The Director of Communications Altun said, “TRT Afrika will assume a strong position in the global communication network and bring a fresh perspective to conventional perceptions and one-sided information flow about the continent.” He further stressed that Türkiye’s equitable approach towards the African continent and peoples is reflected in the broadcast content and strategies of the digital channel.
The Director of Communications Altun argued that an alternative form of broadcasting should be created in response to the discriminatory, marginalising, and unfavourable rhetoric and perception propagated by the Western media towards Africa, and went on to say:
“In this sense, both Anadolu Agency and TRT bring Türkiye's human and justice-oriented approach in regional and global contexts to the global broadcasting arena. TRT's broadcasts serve as a voice for underrepresented voices worldwide, making the ignored visible. TRT started its international broadcasting journey with the launch of TRT Arabic in 2010. With the launch of TRT World in 2015, TRT provided a credible alternative to the Western-based news strategy that dominates the global media system. Additionally, TRT's digital channel broadcasting in French, launched in May last year, enabled Francophone countries, including approximately 200 million French-speaking people in Africa, to obtain accurate information about Türkiye while also providing more accurate French-language coverage of African developments.
The Director of Communications stated that TRT's journalism, which is characterised by its accuracy, speed, and inclusivity, has been appreciated by diverse audiences around the world, and added, “Today, TRT added a powerful new link to its international broadcasting chain with the launch of TRT Afrika, thereby raising the number of its international news platforms to seven. In less than a decade, TRT has grown to be an international station broadcasting in ten languages across seven platforms, reaching tens of millions of viewers globally. We have to recognise and appreciate the fact that TRT's success is unparalleled in the highly competitive global media landscape.”
Pointing out that TRT Afrika set out with a multidimensional, pluralistic and fair journalism approach, as TRT’s other international broadcasts, Director of Communications Altun said,
“TRT Afrika begins its broadcasting life to tell the culture, history, social life, political developments, and untold rich and beautiful face of this great continent 'as it is', as expressed in its motto. I believe that TRT Afrika will significantly contribute to the strong ties between Türkiye and African countries and will play a serious role in revealing the true face of Africa to the world."
"We must not forget that the field of media and communication is a critical area of struggle on a global scale"
Expressing that the injustices and inequalities that prevail in every field, from international relations to the economy, from digital platforms to the media on a global scale, manifest themselves in various ways every day, Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said:
"In order to eliminate these injustices and inequalities, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan demonstrates significant leadership and exerts intense effort on international platforms under the motto 'The world is bigger than 5' and 'A fairer world is possible'. These can be evaluated as a summary of the critical approach not only to the economy but to the global information environment as well. In the same way that there is inequality in international relations, there is also inequality in the global media order. I want to make it abundantly clear that we cannot ignore the existence of a colonialist media and information system as one of the significant sources that fuel this global system.
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that the media and communication field is a critical field of struggle on a global scale and made the following assessment:
"In light of the fact that all evil groups, from global gangs to terrorist organisations, have become more visible and that our countries are increasingly exposed to systematic disinformation, which is one of the most frequently employed weapons by these structures, it is clear that we must establish a zone of resistance against these structures and their systematic disinformation. The Republic of Türkiye is engaged in this struggle under the leadership of our President. We are taking the necessary steps to fulfil our responsibilities to our country and humanity, and we will continue to do so."
Director of Communications Altun characterised the struggle led by President Erdoğan and Türkiye as a "struggle for truth" and stated:
"We find extremely valuable the support that our African friends have provided and will continue to provide to this struggle for truth. Undoubtedly, this struggle is not one that can be waged by a single nation alone. We should therefore strengthen our corporate infrastructures in the field of media and communication, as well as expand and intensify our cooperation in this area. As Türkiye, we are willing to share all of our opportunities and experience in the field of media and communication with African nations, including our formidable capacity in the fight against disinformation, one of the greatest threats to individuals, societies, and states. In this regard, I believe the First Broadcasting Summit organised by TRT and the African Union of Broadcasting is essential. Similarly, I believe that the digital channel TRT Afrika that we have launched will contribute significantly to the development of relations between our countries. I wish both the summit and TRT Afrika to be auspicious for our countries, all of Africa, and all of humanity."
Director of Communications Altun thanked the TRT officials and employees who realised the project and hoped that the ongoing cooperation and partnership with African nations in various fields would continue to strengthen in the field of media and communication.
TRT Afrika will broadcast in 4 languages
TRT Director General Mehmet Zahid Sobacı and African Union of Broadcasting Chief Executive Officer Gregoire Ndjaka also delivered speeches during the program.
Joel Moriasi Obwoge, a Kenyan who began his career at TRT World Digital after completing his education on a Turkish scholarship, delivered a speech about his life in Türkiye and work at TRT.
Students who continue their education in the country with the support of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities also delivered messages on Türkiye-Africa relations during the program.
Following the speeches, the Presidency’s Director of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, the Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism of Somalia, Daud Aweis Jama, the TRT Director General Mehmet Zahid Sobacı, and the African Union of Broadcasting CEO Gregoire Ndjaka, posted for the first time on the social media accounts of TRT Afrika in the four languages it will broadcast, namely English, French, Swahili, and Hausa.
At the event, certificates were presented to the journalists who received training as part of the summit, and a family photo was taken.
