Quality of our studies conducted on our growing, developing fatherlands changed as time passed by. TIKA, having carried out economic, social and cultural activities in sister countries until 1995, concentrated on educational and cultural cooperation concerns since then.
As we know, all depends on having qualified and well-educated human population. A nation that has a qualified education system and closely follows science and technology is the indicator of a sustainable development. That’s why; TIKA speeded up its educational activities conducted on fatherlands after 1995, schools, libraries, laboratories were built and technical equipment supports were provided for universities.
Within the period beginning with 2000s, world became globalized and impact of this globalization were felt on a wide area, from east to west. In this period, in parallel with the momentum regarding development gained by the countries speaking our language, TIKA’s projects that were planned concerning the area transformed into institutional capacity increase projects. From there to here, a significant part of Turkish geography has become richer and more powerful, and is now in the position of not needer but helper. As TIKA, we aim to design projects and work in cooperation, and we carry out mutual experience sharing.
As an extension to the struggle of our country’s being an important actor in its region and the world, our understanding of foreign policy has changed a lot since 2000s. In direction with those changes, TIKA extended its geography of activity, and increased the number of Program Coordination Agencies, which was 12 in the year 2002, up to 25 in 2011, and up to 33 in 2012. Today, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency Directorate is active in 30 cooperating countries with its 33 Program Coordination Agencies. Pertinent to the active and principled foreign policy conducted by our country, number of countries which we cooperate has been increasing every passing day. With the help of TIKA, Turkey intends to create a peace zone by working on companion, fraternal and cognate countries.
TIKA acts as cooperator among state institutions and organizations, universities, non-governmental organizations and private sector, helps all these actors find the common denominator and records Turkey’s development aid. Although our country’s development aid was 85 million USD in 2002, this amount increased to 273 million USD in 2011. Today, Turkey stands among the most active institutions engaging in technical cooperation with the countries speaking the same language we do.
TIKA performs development oriented cooperation studies in approximately 100 countries including those with a cooperation and coordination agency.
Our country shares its knowledge and experience with many countries from Pacific to Central Asia, from Middle-East and Africa to Balkans, from Caucasia to Latin America.
* This article was taken from “Africa Time” magazine (November 2014 Edition) by demanding all necessary permissions for copyright.
