TİKA Brings Turkish and Sri Lankan Business People Together

As Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) creates solutions for local needs in various countries all around the world, it also boosts exports by helping the collaborations between traders and Turkish entrepreneurs.

With the project carried out by TİKA, potential distributors met producers to discuss opportunities to bring Turkish mobile phones and domestic appliances to the Sri Lankan market. In the project, the training sessions required to build a technical service network were provided by TİKA. The training sessions organized in Sri Lanka as part of the Vocational Training and Employment Program (MESİP) started to generate results with the activities carried out in this area.

TİKA team employed at Sri Lanka contacted Sri Lankan business people, who might be interested in electronic products from Turkey, and they were offered solutions for after-sales services including the training of technical service personnel. Within the scope of the 3D Modeling Training Sessions that started in this country, first, 3D printers from Turkey were introduced in Sri Lanka. In cooperation with the Ministries of Trade and Foreign Affairs, a purchasing committee from Sri Lanka was invited to Turkey. Led by a group of business people, who are also tasked with establishing a Sri Lanka Representation Office for MÜSİAD (Independent Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association), the committee began discussions in Turkey on Wednesday. The committee consists of 50 business people including guests, who have arrived to attend the MÜSİAD Expo.

A win-win solution for both parties

TİKA President Serdar Çam also attended to the 17^th MÜSİAD Expo in Istanbul. Thanks to this win-win platform for both parties, Sri Lankan business people stated that TİKA’s solutions are encouraging for them to develop partnerships with the Turkish firms. Sri Lankan business people noted that this visit is the first step and as TİKA organizes the training sessions for after-sales services, which are essential to the penetration of Turkish products into the Sri Lankan market, a win-win solution will be achieved for both parties.  Representatives of the Sri Lankan business world pointed out that such solutions offered by TİKA provide employment opportunities for young people and they enable the business people to engage in trade with Turkey. The project is designed with an “Inclusive markets” approach that is based on generating inclusive business ideas by considering developing countries and particularly underprivileged people. Within the scope of MESİP, a similar project was previously applied for training sessions organized regarding solar-powered water supply systems in Guinea.