During a visit to the Zaman daily’s İstanbul headquarters, Maalim said despite centuries of exploitation and colonialism, Africa remained the only part of the world that still has vast natural resources yet to be explored. “We need Turkey to develop together with Africa,” Maalim said.
He said countries in the West wanted to continue robbing Kenya of its natural resources as they have done in the past, while the Chinese and others were also overly interested in them. He said although the Chinese had made some quality investments in Africa, they had failed to contribute to the general welfare situation in the continent.
The deputy speaker also said that he didn’t believe in the possibility of a fair arrangement with the West or the Chinese in Africa. “This is why we need countries like Turkey that can act as a bridge,” he said, adding that there were not many other countries that could do this. He noted that past experience has shown that Turkish businesses also make an effort to improve the welfare of the local communities in the areas that they have invested in Africa.
Maalim, who is of Somali background, said his children attended a Turkish school opened and run by followers of Fethullah Gülen, the inspiration behind a faith-based movement in Turkey. He said he had immense respect for Gülen and had read many of his books.
He said Turkish businesses were most active in the pharmaceutical and furniture industries in Kenya, which presented a good opportunity to reach out to a potential market of 450 million people, as his country is a portal to Eastern and Central Africa. Maalim invited Turkish businesses to invest in the construction sector in particular. CİHAN