Burkina Faso and Türkiye: A Deepening Friendship of Business and Diplomacy

As Western influence recedes across the Sahel, Burkina Faso has steadily built one of its most consequential foreign partnerships with Türkiye a relationship spanning defence cooperation, trade, education, and diplomatic engagement that has deepened markedly since the country's 2022 military takeover under Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

From Embassies to Strategic Partnership

Bilateral relations gained real momentum after Türkiye opened its embassy in Ouagadougou in 2012, followed by Burkina Faso's embassy in Ankara in 2014. Direct flights between Istanbul and Ouagadougou have operated four times weekly since 2012, while Turkish development agency TIKA and the Turkish Red Crescent have focused assistance on food security and education. In May 2025, the two countries signed fresh strategic cooperation agreements a memorandum of understanding establishing formal political consultations between their foreign ministries, and a protocol agreement on diplomatic cooperation with both sides pledging to broaden collaboration across defence, security, transportation, and trade.

Defence Cooperation at the Core
Military ties have become the most visible pillar of the relationship. Since 2022, Burkina Faso has taken delivery of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones equipment so widely proliferated across the region that analysts have compared its affordability and ubiquity to the AK-47. In 2024, Burkina Faso further upgraded its arsenal with the more advanced Akıncı drone, alongside Turkish armored vehicles acquired in 2022. Burkina Faso's president has publicly credited these Turkish systems as central to the country's defence capacity against jihadist insurgents. In recognition of the relationship, Burkina Faso awarded its highest state medal to the head of a Turkish defence company in 2023.

Trade Ties Under Strain
Economically, the picture is more mixed. Bilateral trade between Burkina Faso and Türkiye fell to $102.4 million in 2024, down from $127.6 million in 2022, according to International Trade Centre data. In March 2025, Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré met Turkish Ambassador Nilgün Erdem Ari in Ouagadougou to discuss new joint projects aimed at reversing this decline, with talks covering trade, economic collaboration, education, and healthcare sectors Burkina Faso has prioritized given its poverty rate of nearly 40% and a ranking of 185th out of 193 countries on the UNDP's Human Development Index. Burkina Faso's participation in Türkiye's Antalya Diplomacy Forum was also discussed as a platform for deepening ties.

Part of a Wider Continental Push
Burkina Faso's relationship with Ankara mirrors a broader pattern across the Sahel, where Türkiye has emerged as a preferred security partner following the withdrawal of French forces and the suspension of US defence assistance after successive coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad. Turkish trade with the wider African continent has now surpassed $40 billion, alongside growing numbers of African students enrolled in Turkish universities and the spread of Turkish television dramas across the region. President Erdoğan has visited Africa more than 50 times, more than any other world leader, positioning Türkiye's engagement around a message of sovereignty and "African solutions to African problems" that resonates with juntas wary of Western conditionality.

Mustapha Bature Sallama.
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal investigation and Intelligence Analysis.

International Conflict Management and Peace Building.USIP

[email protected]
+233-555-275-880
References
Ecofin Agency, "Burkina Faso and Turkey Seek to Deepen Ties with New Projects," April 2025. https://www.ecofinagency.com/public-management/0204-46582-burkina-faso-and-turkey-seek-to-deepen-ties-with-new-projects

West Africa Weekly, "Burkina Faso Signs Strategic Cooperation Agreements with Turkey to Deepen Bilateral Ties," May 2025. https://westafricaweekly.com/burkina-faso-signs-strategic-cooperation-agreements-with-turkey-to-deepen-bilateral-ties/

Atlantic Council, "The Sahel is pivoting toward Turkey. Here's what that means for Washington." https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/africasource/the-sahel-is-pivoting-toward-turkey-heres-what-that-means-for-washington/

TRT World, "Türkiye-Africa security ties gain momentum in a changing world order." https://www.trtworld.com/article/4087a6bca642

Wikipedia, "Burkina Faso–Turkey relations." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burkina_Faso%E2%80%93Turkey_relations