Turkish construction fair successful in Ethiopia

Forty-five Turkish and 49 international companies have participated in the 10th edition of the Construction Exhibition in the Ethiopian capital.

The four-day exhibition from Oct. 9-12 was organized by Ladin Fair and Congress Organization, a Turkish events’ organizer, in collaboration wih Ethel Advertising and Communication, an Ethiopian firm.

Mert Gui, general manager of Ladin Fair and Congress, described the exhibition in which a wide range of construction machinery and materials were displayed as "very well organized and successful".

“Our visitors’ number was really good with the list hitting approximately 5,000 in four days,” he told Anadolu Agency.

The next exhibition has already been booked at the Millennium Hall in Addis Ababa and it would be held in October next year

“Turkish ambassador and commercial attache are supporting us a lot, and Construction Minister Aysha Abdullahi and her team were great supporters of our endeavor,” he said.

There is a huge demand in Ethiopia for Turkish brands, he said. “Ethiopians know our quality. And we have an advantage because we supply the same quality as European brands but at a lesser price.”

Aysel Abali is marketing and business development manager with EKOS Group, a Turkish company that supplies sub-stations.

“We see a demand because of expanding energy sector in Ethiopia and we are here to stay in addition to our presence in Tunisia, Algeria and Senegal,” she said.

“We will have a business for a long term here,” she said, adding her company that comes to Ethiopia for the first time this year is exploring more opportunities to do business.

Akansu Group, Turkish suppliers of water and telecommunications pipes, is also one of the companies at the exhibition.

Foreign Trade Specialist Ahmet Azgun said: “This is the first time that we participated in this exhibition and we have already received requests from a lot of potential customers.”

“There is however one challenge that the Government of Ethiopia needs to resolve. It is taking months to issue Letter of Credit (LC) and this is affecting the efficiency of companies importing products into Ethiopia,” he said.

#Construction Exhibition.

#ethiopia