Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava has said Zimbabwe’s participation at the fourth Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum has been a major success, after a number of fruitful engagements were held.
The country’s presence at the forum was in line with the country’s economic diplomacy thrust.
Speaking at the end of the Program, Ambassador Shava said Zimbabwe will take advantage of the momentum generated to boost relations with Türkiye.
“Overall, it has been a successful engagement mission for Zimbabwe,” he said.
During the two-day forum, Zimbabwe’s delegation, led by Ambassador Shava, participated through interventions in ministerial sessions and bilateral engagements with various stakeholders.
Ambassador Shava engaged Türkiye’s Minister of Trade Professor Omer Bolat on Friday afternoon.
The two resolved to explore ways of boosting trade volumes, which stood at US$38 million last year.
They made a commitment to grow volumes to more than US$100 million.
Ambassador Shava also engaged Mr Selim Bora, chairperson of the board of directors of Summa, one of the world’s largest construction companies.
Discussions included the possibility of Summa expanding to Zimbabwe.
Earlier on Thursday, Ambassador Shava met the president of the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye, Mr Nial Olpak, and made a pitch for Turkish investors to explore business opportunities in Zimbabwe.
In all the discussions, Ambassador Shava said, he emphasised Zimbabwe’s readiness to broaden economic cooperation with Türkiye and tap into the Turkish experience and expertise in sectors that include health, agriculture, infrastructure development, energy and textiles.
“I called for increased trade between the two countries and expressed Zimbabwe’s readiness to supply Türkiye with a number of products that include horticultural produce and cotton,” he said.
“In addition, I invited more companies from Türkiye to take advantage of the investment opportunities in all the key sectors of our economy.
“On their side, Türkiye expressed readiness to expand cooperation with Zimbabwe and assured us that a number of companies are ready to explore business opportunities in Zimbabwe.”
During the business forum, a country presentation showcasing trade and investment opportunities in Zimbabwe was made.
The event drew participants from various companies.
Representatives of parastatals and the private sector also said they had fruitful business-to-business engagements with companies and agencies interested in investing in Zimbabwe and establishing contacts with companies in Harare.
The business and economic forum ran under the theme “Addressing challenges: Unlocking opportunities, building stronger Türkiye-Africa economic partnerships”.
It drew participants from nearly 50 African countries.
Relations between Africa and Türkiye have grown rapidly over the past 15 years.
The Türkiye-Africa Economic and Business Forum is a strategic platform that provides an opportunity for the continent and Ankara to review ongoing cooperation and jointly chart the way forward.
