Turkey seeks stronger SA trade ties at B20 Summit

Turkey is seeking to dramatically scale up trade and investment ties with SA, leveraging this week’s B20 Summit in Johannesburg to push for deeper commercial integration and a pathway toward a future free-trade agreement.

Abubekir Salim, president of the DEİK SA–Türkiye Business Council and founder of Anatrica Holdings, said both countries were repositioning themselves amid global geopolitical realignments.

Trade between the two countries reached $3bn in 2024, but Salim argues the figure is low considering the size of the economy on both sides, noting Turkey was expected to reach a $1.3-trillion GDP this year.

“From our point of view, the amount of inquiries we’re getting … is increasing. For us … going from $3bn to $30bn, it’s not so difficult. We just need to make it more doable.”

Turkey sees the B20, the official business forum of the G20, as a crucial space for that reset.

“B20s are platforms that bring many countries’ business people together. When you visit those type of events … you have a better feel of where the world is going from a business point of view. For the Turkish delegation, our focus will be more SA-related subjects with an eye toward expanding co-operation in sectors from energy to manufacturing to infrastructure,” Salim said.

For the Turkish delegation, our focus will be more SA-related subjects with an eye toward expanding co-operation in sectors from energy to manufacturing to infrastructure.
— Abubekir Salim, president of the DEİK SA–Türkiye Business Council

Last month, SA and Turkey signed a Joint Economic Commission agreement and a co-operation pact on free zones.

“Each country used to open their economies to different countries, not necessarily to each other,” he said. But today’s global fragmentation was forcing governments “to reconsider their historical positioning” creating room for new partnerships.

He expects the next logical step is a preferential or full free-trade agreement, either bilaterally or between Turkey and the Southern African Customs Union.

“We believe that this process … hopefully will lead to a more free-trade-type arrangement … that will multiply the numbers for both parties to a much different level,” he said.

With SA committing to major transmission grid investments, Turkish firms see an opening.

“Turkey has gone through that energy mix and the majority of Turkey’s energy comes from renewables now,” Salim said. “We see huge interest from Turkish companies in that.”

Infrastructure is a second major pillar. “When you look at our regional infrastructure growth you see Turkish companies are the main drivers,” he said.

Salim also flagged manufacturing partnerships as a high-value opportunity, especially for serving African markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

“Turkey has a huge strength when it comes to manufacturing,” he said. “There are huge partnership opportunities … to set up manufacturing factories in SA with a focus on more intra-Africa trade.”

Salim expects G20 leaders to take B20 recommendations seriously. Economic development “cannot be separated from a business viewpoint”, he said.