Uganda's participation at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye underscores Kampala’s dedication to dialogue and cooperation.
The East African nation's participation at the event came on the backdrop of remarks by army chief, General Muhoozi Keinerugaba, threatening to cut diplomatic ties with Ankara over Türkiye's expanding influence in Somalia.
However, Kampala's gesture of honouring an invitation to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum shows Uganda's continued commitment to relate well with Türkiye.
Kampala and Ankara have enjoyed cordial diplomatic relations for more than 50 years, and Türkiye is now more visible among the youth in Uganda through its scholarships programme, Türkiye Burslari.
Defence cooperation
For more than 10 years now, at least 200 Ugandan students have received scholarships to study in various Turkish universities.
Different Ugandan universities have signed academic collaboration protocols with Turkish universities, enabling an exchange of faculty and academic visits.
Uganda and Türkiye share defence, economic, and political ties that demonstrate mutually binding interests.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Uganda in 2016, the first-ever presidential visit to Uganda from Türkiye. During that visit, Ankara and Kampala signed defence industry cooperation agreements that included modernisation of defence equipment and the sharing of security-related research and information.
Income-generating investments
A year later, Türkiye’s state aid agency, TİKA, opened doors in Uganda, and has since undertaken several projects in agriculture, health, sanitation, education, as well as income-generating projects. A women's empowerment project launched under the auspices of Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan is still active.
According to Murat Çetin, the current TİKA coordinator in Uganda, 20 projects are expected to be completed in 2026 alone.
Recently-concluded projects include an advanced biology and pharmacology laboratory equipment at the Islamic University In Uganda (IUIU). The other notable one is a fully equipped computer laboratory for the Uganda National Association for the Blind (UNAB) in the capital Kampala.
Several Turkish charity organisations are also undertaking various projects in Uganda, with the assistance they are offering evaluated and implemented on a case-by-case basis.
Police training
Uganda police also receive periodical training from Turkish Special Forces, who focus on capacity-building, counter-terrorism measures, forensics, and the detection of counterfeit documents.
While some specialised trainings are conducted in Türkiye, others are conducted within Uganda by Turkish trainers, through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), in accordance with the 2014 memorandum of understanding.
Additionally, trade volume between Uganda and Türkiye surged to nearly $100 million by 2025, up from $63 million in 2020, according to the Turkish economic attaché to Uganda, Zeki Vural.
Uganda has a highly liberalised economy and several Turkish investors have injected money in critical sectors such as education, agriculture, construction, health, and trade.
Infrastructure development
A Uganda-Türkiye Industrial Park and Trade Centre was recently launched in Nakasongola, central Uganda, to attract more investments from Turkish companies.
Turkish contractors have developed major infrastructure projects in Uganda, with the facilities often completed ahead of time.
The latest is Hoima City Stadium, which is Uganda's largest sports complex located in the western region. Hoima was constructed by Turkish company SUMMA, with the project completed five months ahead of schedule.
Türkiye’s Yapi Merkezi is set to construct the 273-kilometre section of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line from the Malaba border post to Kampala. The rail network is expected to cost more than $3 billion.
Navigating diverging interests
The project's construction contract was initially awarded to the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) but after eight years of non-execution, Uganda opted for the Turkish firm, Yapi Merkezi.
These milestones demonstrate Ankara’s long-term partnership with Kampala and diplomacy remains an invaluable mechanism for navigating diverging interests.
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which ran from April 17 to 19, 2026, therefore, offered a much-needed avenue to thaw relations and cement partnerships between Türkiye and Uganda.
