KAMPALA, Uganda

Turkish companies are rapidly expanding in the African infrastructure sector, creating employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of workers. 

Data from the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) said that in 2023, Turkish contracting companies completed 1,864 projects on the African continent, totaling $85.4 billion in infrastructure and superstructure investments, while Turkish investments in Africa hit $10 billion.

In Uganda, major Turkish construction companies, Polat Yol and Yapi Merkezi, have undertaken mega projects.

Polat Yol won a civil works contract to upgrade the 92-kilometer (57-mile) Muyembe-Nakapiripirit Road, which will link Uganda to Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

Trade has improved along the road that travels through the districts of Bulambuli, Kween and Nakapiripirit, according to residents. The road crosses the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, the second largest conservation protected area in Uganda after Murchison Falls National Park.

Lilly Ajarova, a Ugandan conservationist and tourism expert, who is the head of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), told Anadolu that when the road is completed, it will boost the flow of tourists in the area, which create employment opportunities for residents and increase economic benefits for the government.

“Pian Upe is a captivating haven for nature enthusiasts and conservationists seeking to experience the thrill of African wildlife in its natural habitat. It is also the best place to see Uganda's rarest animal, the cheetah. This widens the tax basket and tourism industry’s business opportunities,” she said.

Yenen Edip, the project manager for the Muyembe-Nakapiripirit Road, told Anadolu that the majority of employees on the project are Ugandans.

“Our mode of operation is managing the work centrally and delivering it locally with local people at the center stage. Our aim is to share our knowledge with the people, expose them to available technology and become a positive force supplementing their socio-economic efforts,” he said.

Residents hailed the generosity of Polat Yol.

“The Turkish contractors are very generous. During kurban, they use their tracks to transport animals for slaughter and provide us free meat. This is something we had never seen before. We are so blessed to have them,” Muhammad Swadiq, a local imam, told Anadolu. Kurban is the practice of sacrificing an animal in remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son at the command of God.

Motorists whom Anadolu spoke to acknowledged they spend less time on the road and make more money because a trip that previously took days now takes hours.

At the beginning of 2024, the government pitched Yapi Merkezi to build a 273-kilometer (170-mile) section of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line from the Malaba border post between Uganda and Kenya to Kampala, which is expected to cost $2.2 billion. The railway line was supposed to be constructed by the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) but after eight years of non-execution, Uganda opted for Türkiye’s Yapi Merkezi to build the line.

SGR Project Coordinator Engineer Perez Wamburu said Kampala signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Yapi Merkezi.

Turkish companies also built the Tripoli Convention Center in Libya, the Kigali Convention Center in Rwanda, the parliament building in Cameroon, the Dakar Arena, a state-of-the-art multisport complex with a 15,000-seat capacity in Senegal, the Dakar International Conference Center in Senegal, the Blaise Diagne International Airport in Senegal and the Niamey Airport in Niger, among others.

Turkish Ambassador to Uganda Fatih Ak told Anadolu that his country aims to share its knowledge in infrastructural development and all aspects that can facilitate accelerated prosperity for Uganda.

“We are paying attention to ensure that Turkish companies operating in Uganda are doing a good job that directly improves Uganda's transportation network, share skills and stimulate job creation for Ugandan people,” he said.