Ghana and Turkey Wednesday signed an economic agreement to enhance trade between the two countries.
The agreement covers trade, investment, energy, human security, science and industries, health, agriculture, education, water, tourism, maritime and culture.
It also covers exports, development of free zones, small-medium enterprises, infrastructure, youth and sports, environment, forestry, urbanisation and general technical cooperation.
The signing of the agreement climaxed the end of a three-day “Fourth Session of Negotiations of the Ghana and Turkey Joint Trade and Economic Committee Meeting,” in Accra.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, signed for Ghana while the Turkish Minister of Health, Dr Mehmet M?ezzinoglu, initialled for Turkey.
Projections
Delegates at the meeting projected trade between the two countries to hit US$1 billion in the next two years.
Their projections, according to them, was based on the steady rise in trade volume between Ghana and Turkey from US$60 million in 2011 to US$500 million in 2012, despite a slump to US$381 million in 2013.
Mr Iddrisu said the signing of the agreement should “… mark a new beginning in Ghana-Turkey relationship”.
“We remain committed to increasing our trade volume to US$1 billion mark within the next two years,” he reiterated.
He said Ghana had a long-standing relationship with Turkey and was desirous of concluding a free trade agreement, a bilateral investment treaty and an agreement on double taxation with Turkey.
“We remain very determined as a country to attract the needed foreign direct investment from across the globe, but in particular from Turkey,” Mr Iddrisu said.
Exim Bank facility project
Expressing his satisfaction with the progress made with respect to co-operation between the two countries, Dr M?ezzinoglu was hopeful that a project being financed from a US$400 million Exim Bank facility from Turkey should be finished in record time to boost the relations between the two countries.
He also requested Ghana to ratify a health and medical sciences agreement entered into by the two countries in 2013 and provide a protocol to facilitate the schooling of Ghanaians in Turkey.
Source: Daily Graphic
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