Turkiye Ready To Increase Bilateral Trade With Nigeria, Says Envoy

The Ambassador of Turkiye to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, has said his country is ready to enhance bilateral trade and relations with Nigeria.

Speaking during a visit to the corporate headquarters of the LEADERSHIP Group in Abuja, on Tuesday, Poroy said Turkiye’s largest investments in Nigeria included a $200 million factory in Ogun State that manufactures hygiene products, chemical products, tissue paper and baby diapers.

This, he said, is followed by a biscuit manufacturing company in Ogun State worth $50 million as well as investment in the agriculture sector worth about $20 million in partnership with different states and companies in Nigeria.

He said, “We have a presence in Niger and Jigawa States, Abuja, and other areas. We are active in the poultry and greenhouse sectors, and we want to increase our bilateral trade, which is around $1 billion. If you include oil, it will be about $2 billion, and our leaders agreed to raise it to $5 billion during their last meeting in Ankara in January.”

He expressed optimism that the proposed Joint Economic Trade Commission (JETCO) would help remove trade barriers between Nigeria and Turkiye.

Poroy recalled that Nigeria and Turkiye had signed a military cooperation agreement, noting that Turkiye will support the production of military equipment in Nigeria.

According to him, there are 3,500 Nigerian students in Turkiye and 4,500 in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, many of whom are benefiting from the country’s scholarship programme.

He assured that Nigerian businessmen can now have easy access to visas to facilitate trade, saying that a new visa office will be opened in Kano to augment the visa centres in Abuja and Lagos to strengthen people-to-people contacts.

He, however, urged the Nigerian government to address the challenges faced by Turkish businessmen, including difficulties obtaining visas and the high cost of business permits, even as he called on the authorities to reduce the cost.

Welcoming the delegation, chairman of LEADERSHIP, Zainab Nda-Isaiah, noted that Turkiye has massive influence in Nigeria in critical sectors, adding that Turkish products command respect among Nigerians because of their quality, which she said has energised the bilateral relations on a people-to-people basis.

The LEADERSHIP boss, who expressed delight at the visit, described the relationship as important for nations and peoples because it can provide access and open doors to more opportunities for mutual benefits.

“There is a lot of Turkish influence in Nigeria especially in the city of Abuja and in different sectors. The relationship between Turkiye and Nigeria is growing not just when the leaders meet but right down to the grassroots. A lot of people are now travelling to Turkiye as the country is the destination for trade and even for holidays.Turkiye is a force to reckon with,” she said, stressing that the visit to LEADERSHIP would be “the start of a very good relationship between the media giant and the Turkish mission in Abuja.”