The Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, yesterday 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), 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 $5billion of bilateral trade between Nigeria and Turkey. We also wish to increase our investments. The current number is about $400 million, 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 Turkey are expected to visit Kaduna to explore sector-specific opportunities. “This is the first step. I believe we will have further delegations that will visit Kaduna to discuss specific issues and sectors,” he added.
