Turkey means business: Turkish ambassador promises more Turkish investments in Uganda

By Patrick Kagenda 

Turkish investments into Uganda have significantly increased since the Turkish Schools opened shop in 1998. Today, there are several Turkish Investments, including: Turkish Airlines, MAPA Construction, Kolin Construction,  Galaxy International Schools, Dream Villas, Turkish Light Academy Schools, Serin Ltd, Istanbul Fashions, Standard  Manufacturing, East African Hides and Skins, TCM Ltd, Tanyis Investments, Little Angels Investments, Bereket  Construction and Turcon Construction.

The presence of these companies has seen the balance of trade between Uganda and Turkey grow from just US$2,868,000 million in 2007 to US$18,934,000 million as at close of 2012 and for the first six months of 2013, the figure stood at US$7,046,000 million. The registered number of Turkish residents in Uganda stands at a little over 300. In this interview with The CEO`s Patrick Kagenda, the Turkish Ambassador to Uganda His Excellency Melih Ulueren says more Turkish investments are on the way, as the relationship between the two countries solidifies. 

Your Excellency, during the three and a half years you have been in Uganda, what is your impression of the country? 

I love the country because of its beauty and that of its people because of their sincerity and welcoming attitude all the way from bottom to top. I have made very many friends from all sections of life which I regard as a blessing to me and I value it very much. We, the Turkish people are happy to be here in Uganda where we feel more at home because we are not looked at like foreigners. Because of this good relationship between ourselves and our Ugandan brothers, there is a noticeable growing trade and now many Turkish goods are clearly visible on many shop shelves in the country.

This is because the Turkish business people have come to learn that the Ugandan community appreciates quality which Turkey can provide because our goods are manufactured to European Union (EU) Standards. The EU is Turkey’s main export market and all goods manufactured in Turkey adhere to the EU standardization. It is these very goods that are also exported to Uganda and at affordable prices.

What we are aiming at, is having a long term win-win approach or relationship with Uganda where both countries’ people will benefit. In addition to this, Turkish Airlines will effective November 2013 begin daily flights between Entebbe and Istanbul to ease on the movement of both goods and people because modern business revolves around timely transport.

On average, how many Turkish Companies visit the embassy seeking advice on investing in Uganda? 

Many companies are visiting the embassy as our relations are just taking off. There is a huge potential as more and more infrastructure building companies are increasingly coming to Uganda. There is a lot Uganda is offering in the Energy sector, Agro-processing (an area yet to be tapped). The Turkish companies are not working alone but are partnering with their Ugandan counterparts. Turkey has a vast experience in road construction and pipeline construction. If I may tell you, over ten companies in big projects will soon open shop here in Uganda and will be involved in the different sectors of the economy ranging from Energy, Agro-processing, Construction and others.

What are the Turkish companies bringing to Uganda that other investors have not brought in yet?

 Turkey is a highly developed country with specialized cutting edge technologies in all walks of life. Like I said before Turkey manufactures goods it sells to Europe and these goods are all manufactured to European standardization. Even the services Turkish companies’ offer, meet the international set standards. A good example is the Turkish Airlines which was recently ranked a top airline in the world and was chosen as the airline of the year in Europe and is achieving even good results in Africa, where it flies to 35 destinations and 238 destinations in the world.

Look at the Turkish schools, they are all over the world and are known for their success and are one of the best schools in Uganda. Other examples are Kolin construction which is highly experienced in road construction, oil pipelines and dams. The whole of Turkey has the latest technology throughout, with Istanbul being the centre of all the technology and also home of Turkish Airlines and education. When we talk of agricultural value addition, Turkey is very advanced in this sector, and you can see even the number of goods made in Turkey is growing in Ugandan shops.

What are the major challenges the Turkish business community in Uganda are reporting to your office?

 The biggest challenge they say is the transport cost because they push up the costs of Turkish products imported into Uganda. The other issues are the lack of protection of investments and a need for Uganda to avoid double taxation, because our (Uganda and Turkey) final objective is to facilitate trade without barriers thereby paving way for utilizing the whole potential of the two economies.

Most investors especially from Asian countries have pointed at language barrier as a challenge. Aren’t Turkish investors facing the same challenge? 

All Turkish companies have English speaking personnel and this is easing the language barrier between the two countries. With the number of Ugandans studying Turkish increasing, and the Turkish people coming to Uganda also increasing, there will be bridges between the two countries. Everything is going on smoothly between the two people; however Turkish companies should first study things which they have already done. Turkish company proposals should be given as they are said to be good proposals for the Ugandan economy which is already done and we appreciate it.

The Turkish people are known to be very hard working, what is your take on the Ugandan workers’ attitude towards work? 

All the people around the world are the same. It is the level of industrialization that changes attitude. The more the level of industrialization, the more the efficiency and I am sure, the Ugandan people are very talented and efficient people which is already evident in many areas of production. We all know that Makerere University in Uganda is one of the best Universities in the world together with many other universities here in Uganda. Their graduate skills and knowledge will propel the country and the region even further.

Let us use this equation to illustrate what I am saying: Skills +Talent (Uganda) + Turkish Capital & Technology, will form the exact chemistry and synergy we are looking for. It is already there, I see perfect friendship and family atmosphere for the Turkish institutions in Uganda. The good working relationship between Ugandan and Turkish companies coupled with similar lifestyles and similar attitude towards life is enough proof of better times ahead.

The Turkish schools in Uganda are already playing a very big role. Many Ugandans are studying in Turkey and will earn degrees which will further the psychology of friendship and cooperation. The Turkish schools which have been around for the last 15 years established pillars of our future cooperation. The schools are planning to establish a University in the next 5-10 years.