By Gokhan Ergocun and Tuba Sahin
ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkey aims to push Turkish-African relations to the next level despite global protectionist winds, Turkey’s trade minister said on Wednesday.
“Turkey and Africa’s economic relations entered a golden era with Turkey's outreach to Africa that started in 2003, ” Ruhsar Pekcan told the Second Turkey-Africa Economic and Business Forum in Istanbul.
The two-day forum is being attended by 46 countries, three regional organizations, and eight credit agencies, she said.
“It brings together 3,000 African and Turkish businesspeople, ” Pekcan said.
Over the last 15 years, Turkey's trade volume with Africa quadrupled from $5 billion to over $20 billion, she added.
In this period, Turkey’s exports to Africa rose from $2.1 billion to $11.7 billion, and its imports rose from $3.3 billion to $8.9 billion, she explained.
“Turkish investments in Africa exceeded $6.2 billion, and Turkish companies offer employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people on the continent, ” Pekcan said.
Over the last 15 years Turkish contractors have also undertaken hundreds of projects worth $55 billion, she said, and added:
“In other words, over these 15 years our private sector discovered the continent again. ”
The forum was organized by Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board in coordination with Turkey’s Trade Ministry and the African Union as part of a 100-day action plan the government recently introduced to support the economy.
The two-day forum will feature a ministerial meeting themed “Fair, Free and Sustainable Trade ” as well as panel discussions on cooperation in construction, infrastructure, and energy, and trade and investment in Africa.
