Turkish, African business people gather in Istanbul

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Over 1,600 African business people from 54 countries gathered with Turkish producers at the 10th World Cooperation Industries Forum in Istanbul on Tuesday.

The two-day event aims to connect foreign business people directly with Turkish manufacturers.

Lamin Jammeh, the Gambian information minister, said the event is opening new doors for exporters.

Industry is still the driving force of the economy and the forum offers exporters new opportunities for cooperation and industry, he added.

Ozgur Volkan Agar, Türkiye's deputy trade minister, also said his country aims to improve economic and commercial relations with African countries, enable companies to establish new collaborations, and evaluate new business and investment opportunities.

"Our bilateral trade with the continent has expanded around five times in the last 20 years, reaching about $32 billion in 2023," he said.

He noted that the bilateral trade has increased by 26% to $3 billion in January.

"Our exports to the African continent increased approximately 12 times compared to 2002 and reached $21.3 billion in 2023," he said, adding that Africa's share in Türkiye's exports is 8.3%.