The Minister for Trade and Industry, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has revealed plans by the  government to set up a Trade Centre in Turkey in order to market Ghanaian-made products in the country.

Spio-Garbrah, made these comments at the opening of the inaugural Turkish Fair in Accra on Wednesday.He expressed his optimism that the trade relationship between Ghana and Turkey would grow exponentially in coming years.

He also urged Turkish companies to partner directly with Ghanaian businesses anot have have to rely on ‘middlemen’ to market the local products in the country.

“We want this relationship to grow to a point where Turkish companies can establish steel and cement making plants, furniture companies, cocoa processing, gold and jewelery making factories here in Ghana,” he said.

The Turkish Ambassador to Ghana, Nesrin Bayazit, said that by the end of the year Ghana would become Turkey’s second largest trade partner in Africa.

She had earlier stated that stated that trade between the two countries has seen a massive increase and is expected to exceed $1 billion by 2020.

According to her,  statistics from the first six months of this year show that trade between Ghana and Turkey was already at $300 million, just $100 million less than the total for 2015.

“These figures are enough evidence that the target of $1 billion will be surpassed by that time”, she said.
The fair is expected to serve as a platform for investors and entrepreneurs to meet and discuss investment opportunities in the two countries.

The event saw about 50 different Turkish products on display and participants got a chance to sample some of them.

They included included perfumes, wet wipe machines, household equipment and clothing.

The President of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nana Dr Appiagyei Dankawoso that the country had an enabling wnvironment for investors from all over the world to thrive in.

“Ghana has favourable investment opportunities that allow investors to enjoy tax exemptions and also repatriate their profits in full,” he said.

The Vice President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Dursun Topcu, said that he hoped the fair would promote trade between his country and the ones on the African continent.

“We are not just here to engage in trade that would benefit only one side. We want trade between us to be mutually beneficial and one that will forge partnerships among businesses in the two countries,” he noted.

Also at the fair were the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills; a top Ghanaian diplomat in Turkey, Alhaji Ibrahim; the Executive Chairman of the State Enterprises Commission (SEC), Dr Camynta Baezie, and some traditional leaders.

 

source:citifmonline