News / National
Turkish Airlines set to fly direct to Zimbabwe
18 Jun 2016 at 16:01hrs | Views
GLOBAL carrier Turkish Airlines will introduce direct flights to Harare by early next year amid calls from the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEiK) for government to lessen bureaucracy in order to tap into investment opportunities.
The move was secured through the Turkish embassy and DEiK in order to facilitate ease of doing business between Zimbabwe and Turkey.
Ministry of Industry and Commerce deputy minister Chiratidzo Iris Mabuwa, was involved in bringing DEiK to meet the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) in a process that began last year.
Speaking on the sidelines of the official signing of the memorandum of understanding between the DEiK and the CZI yesterday in Harare, DEiK co-ordinating chairman of Turkish-African Business Councils Tamer Taskin said government needed to reduce bureaucracy.
"By the end of this year, if not the first months of 2017, Turkish Airlines will fly directly between Harare and Turkey it will make transportation very easy. Of course business people are very active people and can see the potential and can see everything. On the other side is the government side, we have discussed (with government) how they can make an easy bureaucracy as it sometimes can block the business," he said.
"We had the same problems many years ago in Turkey now it is very easy when establishing a company to bringing in foreign capital to taking your profit out. This is what investors are waiting for from government."
Taskin said government would do well to sort the current cash crisis because if investors hear about "devaluations or no cash in the market, they will not come".
CZI views the luring of Turkey as giving industry an opportunity to retool by tapping into the growing industrial sector and markets in the world's 17th biggest economy.
A direct route between the two countries would make it easier for local companies to transport semi-finished goods to Turkey and have them finished there.
The idea would be that once the goods were finished in Turkey, the country's unique positioning would make it easier for local manufacturers to access Asian and European markets.
The agreement established a CZI-DEiK business council. CZI president Busisa Moyo said the arrangement would help them "piggy back" on the Asian and European partners of Turkey.
"It is piggy backing because they (Turkey) are ahead, so in starting this relationship we go half way in terms of processing, whether it's a cigarette, horticultural goods or leather products and take them to Turkey and where they will be finished. So that this gives us access into European markets as they are already exporting into the rest of Europe," Moyo said.
"The converse is also very true, they have got cheap textiles so we can cut make and trim clothing for example with suits we can bring suits that have been cut and we finish them here for the rest of Southern Africa. So these are entrepreneurial ideas that will be needed to be taken up and explored."
Last year, Turkey's trading volume with Africa reached $23 billion.
The move was secured through the Turkish embassy and DEiK in order to facilitate ease of doing business between Zimbabwe and Turkey.
Ministry of Industry and Commerce deputy minister Chiratidzo Iris Mabuwa, was involved in bringing DEiK to meet the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) in a process that began last year.
Speaking on the sidelines of the official signing of the memorandum of understanding between the DEiK and the CZI yesterday in Harare, DEiK co-ordinating chairman of Turkish-African Business Councils Tamer Taskin said government needed to reduce bureaucracy.
"By the end of this year, if not the first months of 2017, Turkish Airlines will fly directly between Harare and Turkey it will make transportation very easy. Of course business people are very active people and can see the potential and can see everything. On the other side is the government side, we have discussed (with government) how they can make an easy bureaucracy as it sometimes can block the business," he said.
"We had the same problems many years ago in Turkey now it is very easy when establishing a company to bringing in foreign capital to taking your profit out. This is what investors are waiting for from government."
Taskin said government would do well to sort the current cash crisis because if investors hear about "devaluations or no cash in the market, they will not come".
A direct route between the two countries would make it easier for local companies to transport semi-finished goods to Turkey and have them finished there.
The idea would be that once the goods were finished in Turkey, the country's unique positioning would make it easier for local manufacturers to access Asian and European markets.
The agreement established a CZI-DEiK business council. CZI president Busisa Moyo said the arrangement would help them "piggy back" on the Asian and European partners of Turkey.
"It is piggy backing because they (Turkey) are ahead, so in starting this relationship we go half way in terms of processing, whether it's a cigarette, horticultural goods or leather products and take them to Turkey and where they will be finished. So that this gives us access into European markets as they are already exporting into the rest of Europe," Moyo said.
"The converse is also very true, they have got cheap textiles so we can cut make and trim clothing for example with suits we can bring suits that have been cut and we finish them here for the rest of Southern Africa. So these are entrepreneurial ideas that will be needed to be taken up and explored."
Last year, Turkey's trading volume with Africa reached $23 billion.
Source - newsday
