Tiani arrived in Ankara late Wednesday along with 10 of his ministers on his first official trip outside of Africa since seizing power in a 2023 coup that ousted elected president Mohamed Bazoum.

Turkey has become a key defence partner for the Sahel nation as it battles militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, with its ruling junta favouring new alliances after spurning former colonial power France.

At a joint news conference, Erdogan said Turkey was "closely following" Niger's fight against the jihadists, saying he and Tiani had "discussed close cooperation in the fields of military training and intelligence".

"I hope we will soon see positive results from the meetings the visiting delegation will hold with leading (Turkish) defence companies," Erdogan said.

Nigerien media said the visit was aimed at cementing defence ties but would also seek Turkish investment in the landlocked nation's rich deposits of uranium, gold and oil.

Turkey, which is developing a strategy combining military cooperation with economic partnerships, is a significant supplier of armed drones to Sahel-region countries that are key in the fight against jihadists who have ravaged the region for over a decade.

Among African military leaders, the most popular models are made by Turkey's Bayraktar: the TB2 and its big brother, the Akinci.

Turkey has trained Malian commandos and in April signed a deal to send instructors to Niger.

Cooperation also extends to the mining sector, with Niger facilitating the access of Turkish companies to gold and uranium under a 2024 deal.

Niger's L'Enqueteur daily on Wednesday said the visit would focus squarely on security with Niamey "seeking to bolster its arsenal" and "to attract Turkish investment in Niger's vast natural resources to finance new energy infrastructure".

burs-hmw/rlp