Kigongo signs partnership agreement in Turkey

By Isaac Omoding

Olive Kigongo, the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI) president has signed an agreement with the Union of Chamber and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB).
 
The agreement, leading to the creation of the Uganda – Turkish and Turkish – Uganda business councils, is meant to contribute to the improvement of the trade and investment climate between the two countries.

Ersin Eren, the chairman Turkish-Uganda Business Council, signed on behalf of Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) and TOBB president, Rifat Hisarciklioglu, signed on behalf of the Turkish Chapter.

Once the councils become operational, they will carry out their functions through UNCCI and DEIK formed under the aegis of TOBB.

Kigongo was among some 1,000 business leaders from 87 countries that gathered to discuss the role of the global economic crisis and recession that is dominating the world’s trade environment.

The business summit was attended, among others, by the Macedonian President, Gjorge Ivanov, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister, Ali Babacan and Turkish trade minister Hayati Yazici.

Rifat said the agreement will help promote trade between the two countries and contribute to industrial and technological collaboration between their enterprises and economic institutions. It will also help coordinate jointly efforts to collect, combine, analyse, evaluate and diffuse information in relation to trade, industrial and technological cooperation and investments to the mutual benefit of the two nations.

Kigongo said the Business Council will operate in form of two national divisions. Each division will have its own member companies and economic associations.

The Business Council is meant to identify obstacles in trade and economic cooperation and will submit its proposals for overcoming them to the two respective governments.

The councils are also meant to gather statistical data and information on opportunities in the field of trade, investment and other forms of economic cooperation, which it will relay to member companies.