Istanbul, Dec 19 (IANS): The heads of Turkey and African countries have agreed to boost their partnership and cooperation in a wide range of areas, including the establishment of peace and security, as well as improvement of infrastructure investments in Africa.

The Third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit in Istanbul concluded with the adoption of an action plan for the next five years, Xinhua news agency reported.

Speaking at a press conference after the summit on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "we support the efforts to develop intra-African trade, and we will continue to encourage our companies to do business with the continent to get localized."

He noted that Turkey is also ready to offer support to African states in their fight against terrorism, organised crime and strengthen cooperation in poverty eradication in the continent.

Addressing the summit, Felix Tshisekedi, chairman of the African Union and president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said Africa needs concrete projects mainly in trade, infrastructure, agricultural development, governance, and health.

"In some parts of Africa, unfortunately, there is instability and insecurity due to terrorist activities. Therefore, it is a must to ensure peace and security to move forward," he noted.

The participant leaders also highlighted the importance of a joint struggle against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over 100 ministers and 16 heads of state and government from Africa attended the three-day summit.