Uplifting Somalia from the "Death Bed" is Now seen as Turkey's biggest achievement in the Horn of Africa and for the History of Somalia and Beyond, Says Ibrahim Ahmed, A Strategic Analyst and Researcher in the Horn of Africa adding that, Turkey is set to gain from Bilateral relations between the two countries more in the coming years.
Development cooperation between Somalia and Turkey is multi-tiered, and includes military, social, economic and infrastructural partnerships.
During the drought of 2011, Turkey contributed over $201 million to the humanitarian relief efforts in the impacted parts of Somalia. In partnership with the Somali government, Turkish officials have also launched various development and infrastructure projects in Somalia. They have assisted in the building of several hospitals, and helped renovate and rehabilitate the Aden Adde International Airport and the National Assembly building, among other initiatives.Turkish Airlines became the first long-distance international commercial airline in two decades to resume flights to and from Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport.[5] In September 2013, the Turkish company Favori LLC also began operations at the airport. The firm announced plans to renovate the aviation building and construct a new one, as well as upgrade other modern service structures. A $10 million project, it will increase the airport's existing 15 aircraft capacity to 60.
In May 2013, the 1st Turkish-Somali Business Forum was launched in Istanbul to highlight commercial opportunities in both Somalia and Turkey for Somali and Turkish businesses. Organized by the Somali Council in conjunction with Somali and Turkish government ministries, the event included roundtable discussions on potential commercial ventures in both countries as well as business-to-business meetings between Somali and Turkish firms.
In January 2015, Mohamud and Erdoğan concurrently inaugurated a number of new Turkish-built development projects in Somalia, including the Digfer Hospital in the capital. The new 200-bed Somalia-Turkey Training and Research Hospital was constructed by Turkey's international development body, the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA), in accordance with an earlier Somalia-Turkey bilateral agreement. It has a $135.7 million operating budget, $85.6 million of which is slated to be covered by the Turkish authorities over the next five years. The 13,500 square-meter indoor premises includes 20 incubators, 14 newborn intensive care beds, 12 intensive care beds, 4 operating rooms, a delivery room, and laboratory and radiology units, with general surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, children, maternity, urology, internal medicine, anesthesia, dental and ocular departments. It will be staffed by 91 Somali and 52 Turkish hospital administrators, head doctors, administrative directors or financial directors, as well as 40 Somali and 5 Turkish security personnel. Around 36 Somali assistants are also scheduled to participate in the facility's annual training program.
Additionally, Mohamud and Erdoğan launched a new terminal at the Aden Adde International Airport. The facility was built by Kozuva, a private Turkish construction firm. Both sides also agreed to formulate a city plan for Mogadishu, with new residences slated for construction. The initial building phase will target 10,000 homes, which Erdoğan suggested would be completed within 12 to 24 months.
