Makes maiden visit to KADCCIMA
From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The Ambassador of Türkiye to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, on Wednesday began moves to deepen economic ties between both countries, setting an ambitious $5 billion bilateral trade target while seeking to scale up investments beyond the current $400 million.
Poroy disclosed this during his visit to the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA) in Kaduna, describing the engagement as part of efforts to unlock untapped trade and investment opportunities, particularly in northern Nigeria.
“This is my first official visit outside of Abuja. I started from Kaduna and to the north.
“Our aim is to raise our bilateral trade as instructed by our president during the last presidential visit.
“We want to have five billion dollars of bilateral trade between Nigeria and Türkiye.
“We wish also to increase our investments. The current number is about 400 million dollars, but the potential is very huge, so we are behind the potential. We need to work harder to reach our goals,” he said.
He noted that discussions with the chamber were “very fruitful,” adding that further trade delegations from Türkiye are expected to visit Kaduna to explore sector-specific opportunities.
“This is the first step. I believe we will have further delegations who will visit Kaduna to discuss specific issues and sectors,” Poroy added.
Chairman of the Nigerian-Turkey Business Council, Dele Oye, said the visit aligned with ongoing efforts to translate high-level diplomatic engagements into concrete economic outcomes.
“We are very much interested in the activities of the chamber, and specifically in livestock and skills acquisition.
“We intend to play a role in bilateral trade by facilitating delegations between both countries and, most importantly, to sell Kaduna as a destination for business,” he stated.
Oye revealed that plans were underway to formalise cooperation through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Business Council and KADCCIMA to ease trade and investment flows.
He also linked the development to recent engagements between both countries at the presidential level.
“On the sidelines of President Bola Tinubu’s visit, we had about 34 large manufacturing companies from Türkiye at a business forum led by their Minister of Trade.
“There was a commitment to bring that delegation to Nigeria, and we are working on securing a date,” he said.
To him, a joint trade committee co-chaired by ministers from both countries has already been established to resolve business-related challenges and fast-track investments.
“Türkiye has some of the best quality products and is ready to transfer technology.
“Nigeria is open for business, Türkiye is open for business, and Kaduna is open for business,” he added.
On his part, President of KADCCIMA, Farouk Suleiman, described the engagement as the beginning of a “new era” for businesses in Kaduna State.
“What this entails is simple: a new era has come. The old order is gone and a new era is evolving,” Suleiman said.
“Our focus is action, what our members will benefit. This is just the beginning.
“Our role is to advocate and encourage policies that will support businesses and create opportunities for the general populace,” he stressed.
He disclosed that immediate follow-up engagements have already been scheduled with the ambassador to drive implementation.
“Things are beginning to happen. We invite all our members and residents of Kaduna State to roll up their sleeves; the job has just begun,” he said.
The renewed Nigeria-Türkiye engagement is expected to open up financing, technology transfer and market access opportunities, particularly in agriculture, livestock, manufacturing and youth skills development.
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