During Erdogan’s Visit, Turkey and Ethiopia Seal Energy Cooperation Pact
Turkey and Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation during President Tayyip Erdogan’s one-day visit to Addis Ababa on Tuesday, setting the stage for joint projects and manufacturing across renewable power and efficiency, Turkey’s Energy Ministry said.
The accord was inked at a ceremony following talks between Erdogan and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. It marks Erdogan’s first visit to Ethiopia in 11 years and signals a fresh push to deepen Ankara’s engagement with the Horn of Africa.
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Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said the agreement would serve as a “roadmap” for expanding cooperation. According to a ministry note, the two countries plan to work together on new-generation energy systems and the equipment that underpins them.
Key areas outlined by the ministry include:
- Developing projects in renewable energy
- Expanding cooperation on energy efficiency
- Production and installation of hydroelectric power plant equipment
- Production and installation of electric turbines
The ministry said the understanding is expected to lead to joint production and projects, aligning with Ankara’s broader bid to pair diplomatic outreach with industrial and technological partnerships. No further technical specifics were immediately detailed.
Turkey maintains close ties with Ethiopia and has stepped up its regional diplomacy in recent years. In 2024, Ankara helped defuse a dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia over Addis Ababa’s plan to build a port in the breakaway region of North Western State of Somalia, highlighting Turkey’s role as a mediator amid complex Horn of Africa politics.
The energy accord comes as Turkey increases its footprint in the region’s resources landscape. On Sunday, Ankara dispatched its deep-sea drilling vessel Cagri Bey to Somalia for what Bayraktar has described as Turkey’s first offshore exploration mission outside its own maritime zone.
Taken together, the new Ethiopia agreement and the Somalia offshore effort underscore how Ankara is pairing state-to-state partnerships with energy-sector capabilities it has developed at home. For Ethiopia, the cooperation offers a channel to attract technical support and industrial collaboration as it pursues power-sector development and efficiency gains.
The memorandum’s focus on renewable energy and hydroelectric components reflects the widening scope of Turkey’s export-ready energy equipment market, while also dovetailing with African governments’ stated priorities to improve access to electricity and modernize grids. The ministry’s framing of the deal as a roadmap suggests a phased approach, from project identification to potential joint manufacturing and installation.
The signing capped a tightly scheduled visit by Erdogan, undertaken at Abiy’s invitation. Both governments presented the agreement as a platform to deepen ties, with energy cooperation at its core and potential spillovers into industrial and infrastructure collaboration.
Further details on timelines, financing structures or specific project sites were not provided in the ministry’s initial note.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
