Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has announced plans to significantly increase investments across Africa, signaling a renewed strategic focus on the continent’s untapped economic potential.
Delivering remarks at the Shusha Global Media Forum, he confirmed that enhancing cooperation with African nations ranks high on Baku’s foreign policy agenda, particularly in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, agriculture, technology, and defense.
The president, drawing on Azerbaijan’s extensive overseas investment portfolio, affirmed that more than $20 billion has already been deployed by Azerbaijani state and private entities across multiple continents and that Africa represents the next major frontier for expansion.
President Aliyev highlighted that during Azerbaijan’s recent tenure as chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, ties with African countries deepened through humanitarian aid, trade partnerships, and youth diplomacy platforms.
He noted that Azerbaijan had maintained a permanent presence at the African Union headquarters and actively supported collaborative frameworks in climate, education, and technology exchanges.
Building on those ties, the country has already entered memoranda of cooperation with states including Chad, Morocco, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Somalia, covering diverse areas such as public services, trade missions, and joint technical projects.
Energy cooperation will be a key focus, with SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state oil company, already active in Congo, Kenya, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea. Aliyev confirmed ongoing negotiations with additional countries including Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso to extend energy and mining partnerships.
Beyond hydrocarbons, he emphasized potential collaboration in digital infrastructure, green energy, and ICT services, aligning with Africa’s Agenda 2063 aspirations for sustainable continental development.
Development financing and low-interest lending emerged as another pillar of proposed engagement. Aliyev said Baku is exploring loan arrangements and investment instruments tailored to African priorities, guided by project lists provided by African leaders themselves.
He encouraged countries to present concretely scoped opportunities with which Azerbaijani companies state or private could plug in effectively.
The outreach extends to education and humanitarian support, including scholarship programs and capacity-building initiatives. Hundreds of African students are already studying in Azerbaijan under the Heydar Aliyev International Education Grant Program and humanitarian aid especially in healthcare, mine clearance and post-conflict reconstruction continues through Azerbaijani foundations and government agencies.
President Aliyev stressed that these investments are not about symbolic outreach but about practical, results‑driven partnerships that build African infrastructure, enhance food security, scale digital transformation, and boost energy capacity.
With global powers competing for influence in Africa, the president positioned Azerbaijan as an emerging partner offering flexible, sovereign-respecting collaborations grounded in shared development goals.
As African economies gather momentum with projected populations surpassing 2.5 billion by 2050 Azerbaijan plans to be an active investor rather than a distant observer. With preliminary cooperation deals underway and formal frameworks being negotiated, Aliyev’s vision sets the stage for a new chapter in Azerbaijan–Africa relations, based on mutual benefit, strategic cooperation, and long‑term economic engagement.
Written By Ian Maleve
