AFRICAN VECTOR OF TURKEY’S ENERGY DIPLOMACY

The purpose of this article is to analyze the African vector of Turkey’s energy diplomacy, including strategic goals, regional aspects of cooperation, the competitive environment, advantages, and risks, in the context of strengthening Ankara’s geopolitical ambitions and ensuring economic security. The research methodology relies on a systematic analysis of official data, reports, and scientific sources, including statistics from the Turkish Ministry of Energy, publications in international journals, and web resources, taking into account regional differentiation and competitive factors. The results consist in substantiating three key strategic goals (energy diversification, creation of a hub, and development of markets for Turkish companies), providing a detailed description of cooperation across African regions (with examples of projects in countries of North, East, Central, South, and West Africa), identifying the main competitors (China, Russia, UAE, France, USA), and highlighting Turkey’s primary competitive advantages (soft power, cultural-religious diplomacy, technological adaptability), as well as risks (political instability and competition). Conclusions: energy partnership with Africa serves as a dynamic tool for enhancing Turkey’s economic security through supply diversification, mutual investments, and sustainable partnerships, distinguishing itself from the approaches of global players due to flexibility and mutual benefit.