Turkish businesses seek partnership with local companies

A number of Turkish companies have expressed interest in partnering with their Ghanaian counterparts with the hope that such partnerships will serve as a stepping stone for them to gain foothold in the West Africa sub-region.

So far, three of such companies have extended invitations to some Ghanaian companies participating in this year’s Izmir International Fair in the Turkish town of Izmir.

The beneficiary Ghanaian companies include Alpha Samuelson Enterprise, a honey producer, the Centre for Research into Plant Medicine, and the Quin Organics, which focuses on postharvest management and marketing of organic fruits, vegetables and herbs, among others.

They are expected to have discussions with their Turkish counterparts, which include BMC Otomotiv Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S, one of the biggest vehicle manufacturers in Turkey, BKS Agricultural Machineries Automotive Industry & Trade Ltd. Co, and SepeNatural Organic Products Industry Trading Corporation.

The Turkish companies mentioned the country’s stable political environment as one of the key factors that attracted them.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Mr Gideon Quarcoo, said Ghana was opened for investment and partnerships hence the country’s decision to continually participate in the Izmir Fair.

"It is clear that companies employ the use of simple but sophisticated technology to produce and add value to what they produce. In partnering with them, we can learn from best practices and share experiences to get to the level of growth we so desire," Mr Quarcoo, who is leading the Ghanaian delegation to the fair, said.

The Turkish companies

SepeNatural Organic Products Industry Trading Corporation, which manufactures honey and herbal supplements, has already begun talks with some honey producers in Ghana on how ??the two partner and share ideas on best practices in the bee-keeping and honey harvesting.??

The partnerships are also expected to hinge on traceability in honey production and harvesting of bee stings for export to Turkey, where ??market exists for 150,000 tonnes market yearly.??

Consequently, management of the company took the Ghanaian team to its farm gate where it harvests honey from the beehives and then to the production line.

The General Manager of BMC, Mr Ufuk Yilmaz, Product Planning and Technical Sales Defence Industry Department, in an interview, said BMC founded its own with major investments besides its engine, chassis and axle production centres.

He said the company served the automotive sector in Turkey and all over the world with high quality and high production capacity of 21,800 per year.

"The quality of BMC defence industry products are certified with TS EN ISO 9001: 2000 Quality Management System and NATO: AQAP-2110 Industrial Quality Assurance Level certificate. BMC has gained the title of company manufacturing in NATO Standards," he said.

BKS Agricultural Machineries has since 1998 been producing 17 types of machines for soil preparation and planting of seeds.

Ghana’s participation in the 84th Izmir International Fair is under the theme, “Showcasing made-in-Ghana plant medicine / food supplement as well as natural ingredients, and attracting investments into their research and commercial production.”

It would therefore facilitate consolidation of earlier business deals and would also provide window of opportunity to bring once again producers and exporters of made-in-Ghana goods face-to-face with strategic buyers and prospective joint venture partners in Turkey.

Izmir Fair started in 1923 as the first and the only general trade exhibition in Turkey. International aspect of the fair (buyers’ fair) was introduced in 1935.

In 1997, 2002 and 2003, Ghana participated in the Izmir Fair at the instance of the Turkish Government and thus was allocated with exhibition space for free.

Although a very attractive market for some made-in-Ghana goods, Turkey ranked 18th best market destination for non-traditional exports from Ghana during the year 2012.

A breakdown of Ghana’s NTEs to Turkey shows that in 2013 it was valued at US$27,349,948 and in 2012, US$39,549,707.