Turkey Boosts $2 Billion Trade and Investment with New Kano Visa Center
The Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Mehmet Poroy, has reaffirmed Turkey's dedication to enhancing bilateral trade and investment opportunities with Nigeria, aiming to expand the current trade volume of $2 billion. This commitment was emphasized during a recent business visit to the Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KACCIMA), where Poroy led a delegation of top Turkish private investors.
Strengthening Economic Ties and Visa Facilitation
Ambassador Poroy detailed plans to broaden business and investment networks with both private and public organizations in Kano, leveraging existing Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between the two nations. He highlighted Turkey's readiness to export expertise in key sectors such as energy, technological transfer, health, and agriculture, which are expected to improve trade and quality of life in Kano State.
In a significant move to ease business interactions, Poroy announced the establishment of new Turkish visa application centers in Lagos and Kano. "A new Turkish visa application centre will be open soon in Kano to facilitate businesspeople from Kano to get their visa from Kano easily without moving to Abuja," he stated, underscoring the goal of enhancing people-to-people contacts among entrepreneurs.
Follow-Up to Presidential Visit and Strategic Targets
The visit to Kano is part of a follow-up to President Bola Tinubu's official trip to Turkey in January 2026, where several MoUs were signed to boost trade facilitation. Dele Oye, Chairman of the Nigeria-Turkey Business Council, explained that stakeholders have been tasked with increasing bilateral trade from $2 billion to $5 billion, with Kano playing a pivotal role in achieving this target due to its strategic economic importance.
Additionally, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, reiterated Nigeria's commitment to operationalizing cooperation agreements with Turkey. This was confirmed during Poroy's visit to her office in Abuja, as detailed in a statement by her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Magnus Eze. The statement recalled that President Tinubu's delegation, including six ministers and the National Security Adviser, witnessed the signing of key bilateral agreements during the Ankara visit.
This initiative marks a significant step in deepening Nigeria-Turkey economic relations, focusing on practical measures like visa facilitation and sectoral investments to drive growth and collaboration.
