With the trade volume between Turkey and Kenya so far at $220 million this year, the goal is to reach $1 billion in the near term. In Kenya, which imports textiles, food, energy, and cosmetics from Turkey, the business world has expanded its target with plans to reach $1 billion in construction and health tourism in the coming years. In this context, Turkish investors have set course for various African countries, especially Kenya, along with the state's incentives. Turkish investors, who are currently investing in furniture, food, and textiles in Kenya, will further expand capacity through significant investments, especially in the field of collective housing.
In his explanation of Turkish business activities in the African country, Mahmut Burak Ersoy, the undersecretary at Ankara's Embassy in Nairobi, noted that Turkey had been conducting activities here since Kenya gained its independence and running embassies in the country for 50 years. Ersoy said the two countries had collaborations in many fields such as politics, economy and tourism, adding they carried out significant activities with various organizations such as the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) in line with Turkey's missions.
"With Kenya, where we have important political relations, our business volume is constantly increasing. Last year we reached $220 million in trade volume, $200 million of which was Turkey's exports," Ersoy said.
Pointing to the trade volume target of $1 billion previously announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ersoy recalled that last year Turkey reached over $200 million in exports, stressing they aimed to achieve a higher figure for 2019.
"We plan to catch $1 billion in the coming period," he continued. "We have Turkish investors in the fields of construction, food, furniture, and energy. Our infrastructure investments will increase, and we currently have a road construction investment. We have very serious initiatives for collective housing investments. Soon, textile and construction companies, the two giants, will land in Kenya."
He further touched on the health tourism mobility from the African continent to Turkey in conjunction with the initiatives of the Ministry of Health. "Health services are very expensive around here with no reimbursement system and qualified treatments. Turkey, on the other hand, offers serious incentives, provides important health support, and conducts checkups at various times within the scope of health weeks," Ersoy highlighted. "There is busy health tourism mobility, and many people are coming to Turkey for treatment. The interest in Turkey is growing. We also have significant collaborations at the point of education. Kenyan students and public servants in many fields have been trained in Turkey so far."
Ersoy also commented on the Gülenist Terror Group's (FETÖ) activities in the region and the measures taken in this regard. "We maintain our efforts to fight FETÖ. Especially after the July 15 coup attempt, we have been informing Kenyan authorities about what the organization has done and its activities in every sense," he said. "FETÖ has 10 schools in the country. Our efforts concerning their transfer are underway. TİKA, the Maarif Foundation, the Ministry of Health and our ministry are conducting projects from all quarters."
