BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 2. South Africa has
appointed Lungisani Dominic Ntombela as its new Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Turkmenistan, as the two
countries seek to strengthen bilateral relations.
This was reflected in a press release published by the press
service of the Turkmen government.
According to the publication, Ntombela presented his credentials
to Chairwoman of the National Assembly (Parliament) of Turkmenistan
Dunyagozel Gulmanova, who received them on behalf of President
Serdar Berdimuhamedov.
During the meeting, the sides discussed prospects for developing
bilateral and multilateral cooperation between their countries,
particularly within the United Nations and other international
organizations. The ambassador was also briefed on the structure and
activities of the Mejlis and Turkmenistan's foreign policy
priorities.
Meanwhile, Turkmenistan has stepped up its diplomatic engagement
with African countries this year, seeking to expand political
contacts and explore opportunities for trade and economic
cooperation. Among the notable developments were meetings with
representatives of Chad, Egypt, Tunisia, Uganda, Kenya and Algeria,
reflecting Ashgabat's growing interest in strengthening ties across
different parts of the continent.
In January, Turkmen officials held talks with Chad's newly
appointed ambassador, discussing cooperation in political, trade
and economic, and cultural fields. In April, the foreign ministers
of Turkmenistan and Tunisia discussed ways to increase bilateral
trade, promote business exchanges and encourage companies to
participate in each other's exhibitions. Contacts with Egypt in the
same month included plans to resume meetings of the joint
intergovernmental commission and expand cooperation in healthcare,
education and tourism.
Economic cooperation also featured in discussions with Uganda
and Kenya. During a Turkmen delegation's visit to Kampala in May,
the sides explored opportunities in energy, textiles, agriculture
and food processing, as well as the organization of business forums
and trade exhibitions. In July, talks with Kenya covered potential
cooperation in energy, agriculture, transport and textiles.
Turkmenistan also received the credentials of newly appointed
ambassadors from Kenya and Algeria during the year, while
discussions with the Algerian side focused on expanding political,
trade and economic, and cultural ties.
Turkmenistan's private sector has also been expanding its
presence in Africa through projects implemented by Aýdyň Gijeler in
Eswatini. In June 2026, the company established two enterprises in
the country: Aýdyň Gijeler Eswatini, focused on producing national
identity cards and biometric passports, and Eswatini Quantum Works,
which will manufacture electrical and infrastructure equipment,
including cables, lighting poles, traffic lights and road
signs.
The projects followed talks between the company and Eswatini's
authorities, including a meeting with King Mswati III in May 2026.
The sides discussed plans to produce 1.5 million national identity
cards and more than 500,000 biometric passports. An agreement was
also reached to allocate a four-hectare site for production
facilities. The establishment of the two enterprises represents a
concrete example of Turkmen private-sector involvement in Africa,
extending cooperation beyond diplomatic contacts into digital
identification systems and infrastructure manufacturing.
