Government to fast-track infrastructure, energy, irrigation and rail projects, with Turkish-Islamic heritage prioritised in cultural investment
Turkey has laid out its public investment priorities for the next three years, with officials saying spending will focus on projects that make the greatest contribution to economic growth, support for private-sector investment, regional development, production, employment and national prosperity.
According to the plan, priority will go to economic and social infrastructure projects that cannot be delivered by the private sector, alongside projects that reduce production costs for private businesses, build new production capacity, and support innovative, competitive industrial growth. Projects supporting Turkey’s broader macroeconomic goals — particularly those aimed at building a skilled workforce and a resilient society to sustain long-term growth — will also be prioritised.
Manufacturing will be a central focus, with emphasis on research and development, digitalisation, human resources, logistics, energy and education as cross-cutting priorities, alongside targeted investment in agriculture and food, tourism and the defence industry.
Public investment proposals will be designed to help narrow regional development gaps, with the geographic distribution of funding taking into account both historical investment patterns and forward-looking regional policy. Priority will go to investments that help sectors already prominent in regional economies move toward higher value-added, more competitive production.
Agriculture and water infrastructure
Among major projects under the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) investment programme, priority will go to gravity-fed irrigation schemes where water storage or transmission infrastructure — such as tunnels or main canals — is already complete or under way. Infrastructure and research projects aimed at boosting livestock production, preventing animal disease, and improving herd management and biosecurity will also be prioritised, alongside projects supporting crop production, plant health and agricultural information systems.
Projects to reduce water loss and leakage will be prioritised, with drinking water supply projects run by DSİ favouring municipalities with populations of 50,000 or more where water loss is already below 50%.
Energy, rail and defence industry
Priority will go to projects supplying inputs to the energy sector and manufacturing industry, including exploration and production of coal, oil, natural gas and geothermal resources, as well as minerals considered important for supply security as reserves run down, along with mineral processing and quality-improvement projects.
Alongside the defence industry, the government said it would focus on developing domestically designed and produced rail vehicles and aircraft, with sector-specific and thematic projects prioritised within industrial infrastructure spending. Organised industrial zone projects will be selected according to national and regional strategies, and each province’s industrial potential and budgetary capacity.
Energy investment will prioritise projects aligned with Turkey’s projected energy needs and the principles of its electricity market law, with an emphasis on reliable raw material supply, high commercial value, and the development of domestic and original energy technologies — particularly nuclear and renewable energy — along with projects that serve as a precondition for other investments or improve their capacity and efficiency, and transmission infrastructure to integrate renewable energy into the grid. Priority will also go to infrastructure projects that diversify natural gas sources and routes, build adequate supply stocks, and bring offshore gas discoveries into the national economy.
Cultural heritage, security and justice
In heritage preservation, priority will shift from single buildings toward holistic urban conservation projects covering historic city centres and markets, with archaeological excavation, survey work and restoration projects focused primarily on the Turkish-Islamic period.
Security-related investment will prioritise projects that strengthen coordination and technological capability among security agencies, and support preventive and protective security services — including border security and efforts to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, smuggling, organised crime, cybercrime, and irregular migration. Investment will also go toward projects that speed up judicial processes, improve citizens’ access to justice, and expand capacity in the prison system to ensure the effective enforcement of criminal sentences.
Municipal and urban infrastructure
Solid waste projects run by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, along with solid waste and geothermal district heating projects run by the state development bank İLBANK, will be prioritised. Among municipalities’ externally financed investment projects, priority will go to schemes supporting urban safety and resilience, such as the purchase of fire and emergency response vehicles and projects to combat natural disasters.
Spatial planning projects will be developed to improve quality of life, support economic development, protect the natural environment, and reflect Turkey’s historical and civilisational character, guided by the priorities set out in the national geographic information strategy and smart cities strategy.
In migration policy, the focus will be on developing data systems and research to assess the economic and social circumstances of migrants and citizens living abroad, while investment in return centres and shelters linked to efforts against irregular migration will focus on completing projects already under way.
