Abstract
Since the fifteenth century, Africa has always been subject to global attention. European states benefitted from the lands and labor force in Africa during the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism periods. Individuals from different tribes in Africa were forced to leave their homelands in return for forced labor in chiefly the American continent. Besides, European states partitioned the lands of Africa within colonialism that was officially launched in the 1884-85 Berlin Conference. In addition to their ongoing interests in Africa upon the launch of independence movements by the mid-1950s, states out of Europe such as the United States of America (USA), the Soviet Union, India, China, and Brazil have approached Africa for political and ideological reasons. In terms of political reasons, Africa has been regarded as one of the main venues to construct a sphere of influence and to position around these states’ national interests. In terms of ideological reasons, on the other hand, the Soviet Union and the USA tried to support African states in order to provide sustainable protection from each other during the Cold War. Once it appeared that this involvement brought economic gains thereafter, Africa has attracted many other states. Among them is Kazakhstan, who declared an opening to African states by the 2050 Strategy which was announced in 2012. Under the guidance of not only the Kazakh state but also the Kazakh private enterprises, Kazakhstan has been implementing an economic opening to Africa. Accordingly, it is stated in the article that Kazakhstan’s opening to Africa by the 2050 Strategy is an example of how economic diplomacy within the Kazakh distant neighborhood foreign policy has been implemented. In this context, this economic dimension between Kazakhstan and Africa through economic cooperation, investment and trade on the basis of a theoretical debate about economic diplomacy has been tried to show.