TIKA head Serdar Cam
The head of Turkey's state aid agency praises Africa's "great interest" in Turkey.
Serdar Cam, head of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), joined the delegation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived on Wednesday in Johannesburg to attend the BRICS summit.
"We are getting a great interest and affinity [in Africa] which we try to reciprocate," Cam told Anadolu Agency.
Speaking about ongoing projects of TIKA on the African continent, Cam said that TIKA is in the process of opening a new office in Zambia.
Stating that the fate of Somalia changed after Erdogan visited the country in 2011, Cam said that TIKA will continue to carry projects into effect.
Turkey’s aid agency is doing good work in a wide variety of areas in South Africa, from education to health and from art to sports.Over 20 projects have been realized in the last six months, Mehmet Akif Sekerci, the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency’s (TIKA) coordinator in South Africa, told Anadolu Agency.The projects were conducted by TIKA’s Pretoria Coordination Office in the provinces of Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Cape Town, as well as Lesotho and Swaziland in southern Africa, Sekerci said.“We aim to support the development of South Africa’s health sector with key strategies like building hospitals and clinics as well as technical cooperation in health care,” he said.He also said projects for equipment support, healthcare screening, providing vaccines and medications, and supporting the education of medical experts are ongoing.Telling how TIKA is trying to spread the wisdom, heritage, and culture of Anatolia all over the world, Sekerci said the agency is active in 170 countries with 60 coordination offices, including 22 in Africa alone.- Promoting education and culture“We have met the renovation and equipment needs of the Mohau Child Care Center, which cares for orphans and HIV-infected children,” Sekerci said.Highlighting TIKA’s efforts in education, Sekerci said: “We built new classrooms for preschool children in Pretoria.”“We’re setting up a library in Johannesburg, and we’re also working as the partner of the nationwide ‘read to lead’ campaign and we're cooperating closely with South Africa’s Basic Education Ministry to realize more projects, especially in low-income areas.”He added that TIKA is carrying out projects supporting culture and sports in the country, by -- for instance -- renovating the Bo Kaap Museum in Cape Town and building new club facilities as well as supplying sports equipment.“For all these projects, TIKA expects nothing but to strengthen brotherhood and cooperation between our two nations,” Sekerci said.- Disaster and Emergency Course in SudanAs part of TIKA’s activities in Africa, the agency has completed the third phase of Disaster and Emergency Management training, done with the support of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Statistical Economic and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), and the Turkish and Sudanese health ministries.According to a TIKA statement, participants in the program included 33 trainees from various cities in Sudan and 14 trainer candidates who showed promise in earlier training.Sudanese medical personnel also contributed to the program, as well as Turkish experts.
Twenty Turkish aid projects in last 6 months in S.Africa
A Turkish cultural institute has become a bridge between Turkey and South Africa through its cultural activities in Johannesburg, according to the head of the center in the city.Gokhan Kahraman, the head of the Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) in South Africa, told Anadolu Agency that the center introduces Turkish culture in the country through cultural and artistic activities, including Turkish arts of marbling as well as calligraphy.A total of 161 South Africans also participated in Turkish language courses at the institution, Kahraman said.“Our institution promotes our culture via courses, exhibitions, panels, and concerts. We have 15 cultural centers, most of them in North and East Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, we operate only in South Africa’s Johannesburg, besides Sudan and Ethiopia,” Kahraman added.Kahraman said the successful participants of the language course were also sent to Turkey for summer schools: “We sent a total of 12 students to Turkey last semester and this semester.”“In this way, they both improve their Turkish by practicing and learn Turkish culture as well as meet with students coming from other countries,” he added.- Abu Bakr Effendi LibraryKahraman said that Johannesburg also hosts first Turkish library in sub-Saharan Africa.“The Abu Bakr Effendi Library is among the largest libraries in sub-Saharan Africa,” Kahraman said.The library is named after Abu Bakr Effendi, the first Turkish teacher in South Africa.Effendi was sent to South Africa in 1863 by Ottoman Sultan and Caliph Abdulaziz to assist and teach the Muslim community of the Cape region. He launched the first educational activities in the Cape and Turkey’s historical ties to South Africa date back to that time.Kahraman also said the institution was also increasing cooperation with leading universities in South Africa to open a Turcology department.“In addition, we carry out joint projects with local NGOs in the field of culture and arts as well as education,” he added.According to Kahraman, Turkey has become an attraction center in South Africa.“Turkish scholarships, works of institutions such as YEE, TIKA [Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency] and Maarif Foundation have provided a significant contribution to the promotion of Turkey,” he added.Kahraman said that the YEE was planning to open new cultural centers in Cape Town and Pretoria in South Africa.Since its establishment in 2009, the Yunus Emre Institute has taught Turkish to more than 99,000 people in 45 countries.Named after the influential poet Yunus Emre, the institute now has nearly 50 cultural centers around the world offering artistic, social and scientific programs.
Turkish institute brings Turkey, South Africa closer
Speaking about the TIKA's works, which are carried out across the continent, Cam recalled the first office of the agency which was opened in Ethiopia in 2005.
Cam said that various projects were implemented through the nearly 25 offices across the continent.
"In every field, including agriculture, health, husbandry, education, strengthening infrastructure and government capacity, we are sharing all these experiences of our state," he said.
Fight against FETÖ
Cam said that Turkey's cooperation with African countries will increase and TIKA will continue to support development projects there.
Speaking about the fight against Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) -- the group behind the defeated coup attempt of July 2016 -- Cam said that Turkey is fighting the terrorist organization effectively with its institutions.
"Our institutions like TIKA, Maarif Foundation, Yunus Emre and YTB are working to contribute positively to this process by actively doing good work against this treacherous organization (FETÖ) which deceived the world for many years on the field," he said.
Established in 1992, Turkey's government-run aid agency is responsible for implementing Turkey's developmental cooperation policies overseas. The agency carries out development cooperation activities in 170 countries via its 62 program coordination offices in 59 countries across five continents.