Embracing The Essence Of Business With Africa

At DEİK, we persist in our “Business Diplomacy” initiatives, harnessing the essence of our business ethos

I want to express my profound sadness and concern about the ongoing situation between Israel and Palestine since October 7th. War, violence, and oppression only yield suffering, and in conflicts, there are no winners! I earnestly hope that this devastating cycle, which disregards civilian lives and leaves behind pain, tears, and destruction, comes to an end swiftly. My wish is for the region to attain lasting peace through dialogue and fair, equitable resolutions. An explorer was journeying through the African jungle when one of his companions suddenly halted.

The explorer inquired, “Why have we stopped? Are you feeling tired?” The man responded, “We are not tired, but we are moving so swiftly that our souls are lagging behind.” At times, we race through the routine of life so swiftly that we lose the essence and spirit of our endeavours. In such moments, it’s crucial to pause, take a breath, and proceed with a more thoughtful plan of action. I view TABEF, our IV Türkiye-Africa Economic and Business Forum, orchestrated by DEİK under the theme “Unlocking Opportunities and Building Stronger Economic Partnerships,” in collaboration with the African Union and hosted by our Ministry of Trade in Istanbul between October 12th and 13th, 2023, as a harmonizing process aimed at encapsulating our core spirit. In our IV TABEF program, we had the honour of hosting various esteemed figures including Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, as well as 1 guest President, Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Minister of Family and Social Services, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Prof. Dr Ömer Bolat, Minister of Trade, and Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure.

Additionally, present at the event were Fahrettin Altun, our Head of Communications, Amany Asfour, President of the African Business Council, and Davut Gül, Governor of Istanbul. The conference also welcomed Ministers from 24 African countries, the Commissioner of the African Union Commission, the Chairperson of the Business Council, 32 Ambassadors, 19 Presidents from the business world, along with 3,900 Turkish and African business individuals, among them 1,700 from Africa. The event facilitated nearly 10,000 business meetings. I extend my gratitude to our Minister of Trade for his unwavering support in our preparations.

I would also like to express my thanks to Prof. Dr Ömer Bolat for his invaluable contributions. I firmly believe that with resolute efforts to fortify our trade and investments, we will enhance our trade with the African Continent, aiming to reach USD 50 billion initially, and subsequently, to USD 75 billion. To accomplish our objectives, it is crucial to address visa-related challenges, negotiate agreements to avoid double taxation, establish Mutual Recognition and Protection of Investments Agreements, forge Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), enhance banking facilities, and foster collaboration in technology and startup ventures. These actions will be instrumental in reaching our goals. Our core principle revolves around “win-win” scenarios. However, while we interpret “win-win” as “Let me win and you win,” many developed countries often perceive it as “Let me win and I win again.” They often perceive justice as favouring the powerful. I believe it’s essential to reconsider the essence and spirit of this principle.

At DEİK, through our 152 Business Councils, including 48 in Africa, we persist in our “Business Diplomacy” endeavours. We are committed to upholding the “winwin” principle and harnessing the ethos of our business spirit to boost our investments and trade. In this edition of our Business Diplomacy magazine, comprehensively covering the IV Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum, we feature our cover interview with Prof. Dr Ömer Bolat, the Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye. Utku Bengisu, Founder of African Trade Centres, provided an assessment of Türkiye-Africa relations, while Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ, Chairperson of the Türkiye-US Business Council, offered an analysis of trade between Türkiye and the US. Under our file section, we thoroughly examined economic and trade relations between Japan and Türkiye, incorporating insights from our esteemed ambassadors and business figures.

Enjoy your reading.