TABEF ATTRACTED NEARLY 4,000 PARTICIPANTS FROM 53 COUNTRIES

The Türkiye-Africa Business and Economy Forum took place in Istanbul for the fourth time, organized by DEİK

The 4th edition of the Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum, organized by DEİK, brought together the Turkish and African business communities in Istanbul. With the theme “Addressing Challenges, Unlocking Opportunities: Building Stronger Türkiye-Africa Economic Partnerships”, TABEF saw the participation of almost 4,000 attendees from 53 countries. During the Forum, where delegates from the economic, trade, and business sectors of both Türkiye and African nations converged, discussions focused on exploring new cooperation and investment opportunities through country and sector-specific panels. The concluding ceremony of the Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum featured notable figures, including Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson-in-Office of the African Union (AU), Prof. Dr Ömer Bolat, Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye, Ambassador Albert Muchanga, Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Industry, and Mining of the African Union Commission (AU), DEİK President Nail Olpak, Dr Amany Asfour, Chairperson of the African Business Council, along with representatives from the economic and business sectors of both Türkiye and African nations.

ERDOĞAN: “OUR TRADE VOLUME WITH THE AFRICAN CONTINENT, WHICH STOOD AT 5.4 BILLION USD IN 2003, HAS SURGED TO APPROXIMATELY 41 BILLION USD BY THE END OF 2022”

Expressing a commitment to bolster the standing of the African continent in the global system, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared, “The level of our relations with many countries on the continent was not commensurate with the significance we attach to our African friends, and we are determined to rectify this. First, in 2003, we put into practice the strategy of developing trade and economic relations with Africa. Then, by declaring 2005 as the “Year of Africa” in our country, we opened a new page in our relations with the continent. Our trade volume with the continent, which was 5.4 billion USD in 2003, reached 41 billion USD by the end of last year. Our total direct investments in Africa have surpassed 10 billion USD.” Underlining Türkiye’s pride in providing employment opportunities for over 100,000 African workers through Turkish investors, Turkish President Erdoğan expressed, “We are delighted to witness the continuous development of our relations with Africa in any field, ranging from trade and investment to culture and education.”

ASSOUMANI: “WE MUST COLLECTIVELY STRIVE TO TRANSFORM AFRICA INTO A CONTINENT OF HOPE”

Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson-in-Office of the African Union (AU), remarked, “This forum delves into matters of significance to the peoples of both Türkiye and the African continent.” Since the beginning of the partnership with Africa, Türkiye has always made the best use of these opportunities. We need to make Africa a continent of hope and we reiterate our call for unity in this regard. We expect Türkiye’s trade volume with African countries to reach 75 billion USD in 2024 and we are GLAD to see Türkiye’s support in this regard.”

MINISTER BOLAT: “WE ENDORSE THE APPROACH THAT ALLOWS AFRICANS TO DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF AFRICA”

Turkish Minister of Trade Prof. Dr Ömer Bolat highlighted Türkiye’s commitment to fostering relationships with African nations built on equal partnership, brotherhood, and mutual respect. He stated, “Since the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Trade and Economic Relations with Africa in 2003, Türkiye has consistently taken decisive measures to advance its ties with Africa based on a win-win principle. Having achieved a trade volume of 40.7 billion USD with African countries in 2022, we have already reached a trade volume of 27 billion USD in the first nine months of this year. While supporting the approach that the future of Africa will be determined by Africans, we will continue to stand by Africa in the international arena in the upcoming period, and we will keep taking decisive steps to develop together with African countries as equal partners.”

OLPAK: “WE ARE COMMITTED TO ELEVATING OUR TRADE WITH AFRICA TO 50 BILLION USD INITIALLY, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, TO 75 BILLION USD”

DEİK President Nail Olpak underscored their dedicated efforts to boost the trade volume between Türkiye and African countries, with the aim of reaching 50 billion USD initially and then expanding it to 75 billion USD. He stated, “As DEİK, we persist in our ‘Business Diplomacy’ initiatives, leveraging the synergy of our business-oriented approach through our 152 Business Councils, 48 of which are actively operating in Africa. We are resolutely working to fortify our trade and investments with African countries.”