Bridging Continents

In light of His Excellency Dr. Alex C. Otti's vision of making Abia State one of the best, if not the best destination for Profitable investment, ease of doing business and an industrial hub in Nigeria mixed with the entrepreneurial spirit of Abians. His Excellency tasked the ministry of Trade & Commerce to explore ways on making that vision come to life. High Chief J.N. Green‑Amakwe, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Abia State on Investment Promotion and Public‑Private Partnerships, together with Prince Eniola Ojajuni, CEO of Vega Growing Global Enterprises, recently paid a strategic visit to the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Abuja.

Their meeting with the Turkish Embassy’s Commercial Counselor focused on the planning and vision behind the upcoming Abia–Türkiye Investment Summit & Product Exhibition 2025 (TURAB 2025), scheduled for 25–27 November 2025 in Umuahia. This visit not only underscores the ambition behind the Summit, but also signals Abia State’s intent to deepen ties with Türkiye, unlocking new trade and investment frontiers.

Below, we explore the significance of that diplomatic visit, the strategic promise of the Summit, and how Abia can partner with Türkiye to redefine its economic future.

The Diplomatic Visit: Purpose & Promise

Why the Embassy Visit Matters

Symbolic commitment: Visiting the Turkish Embassy sends a strong diplomatic signal: Abia is serious about deepening bilateral ties and wants Türkiye’s business community to view the Summit as a credible, high-level platform.

Institutional engagement: Meeting the Commercial Counselor allows direct access to Türkiye’s trade and investment apparatus — a conduit to Turkish firms, chambers of commerce, and trade missions.

Trust building: Face-to-face interaction helps build confidence, clarify roles, ease concerns about investment risks, and align expectations from both sides.

Topics Likely Explored

1. TURAB 2025 agenda and structure — themes, sectors, exhibition formats, B2B matchmaking, side events, and investor delegations.

2. Turkish participation incentives — proposals for tariff waivers, logistic support, delegation costs, visa facilitation, and bilateral guarantees.

3. Partnership modalities — roles for Turkish agencies (e.g. investment promotion agencies, export promotion, trade development banks) and how they can support Abia firms.

4. Follow-up frameworks — post-summit steps, monitoring, joint committees, follow-through on MOUs or MOAs.

While the full communique is yet to be publicly released, the visit reinforces both the Abia government and Vega’s proactive approach to ensuring the Summit is anchored in strong diplomatic and trade architecture.

---

TURAB 2025: What Abia is Setting Out to Achieve

Summit Overview

The Abia–Türkiye Investment Summit & Product Exhibition (TURAB) is designed as a Foreign Direct Investment exposition aimed at international and local investors.

Scheduled 25–27 November 2025, to be hosted at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia, Abia State Nigeria.

Organized in partnership between the Abia State Government and Vega Growing Global Enterprises.

A steering committee, chaired by Green‑Amakwe, was inaugurated on 4 June 2025 to coordinate the Summit planning.

In August 2025, Abia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vega, formalizing roles and partnerships for TURAB 2025.

Objectives & Strategic Focus

The Summit is not merely a trade fair — it is a strategic platform to:

• Promote international trade and export-led investments, especially in sectors where Abia has potentials (agriculture & agro-allied, textiles, leather & shoes, energy, solid minerals, infrastructure, warehousing).

• Identify and catalyze joint venture projects between Abia firms and Turkish investors or institutions.

• Strengthen diplomatic and economic ties between Nigeria and Türkiye via state-level partnerships.

• Position Abia State as an investment destination of choice in Nigeria, leveraging its existing strengths and regulatory reforms.

• Create cross-border linkages—exports from Abia to Türkiye, technology transfer, supply chain integration, and market access.

Green‑Amakwe has described TURAB2025 as “an FDI exposition for international and local investors to explore the possibilities and many advantages Abia State has as a preferred investment destination.” He highlighted the great efforts his Excellency the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex C. Otti OFR is making to ensure a sustainable and secure atmosphere in Abia Sate for local and foreign investments to thrive, therefore emphasizing that this Summit would build on existing positive perceptions of Turkish business presence, and encourage tailored business exchange. Meanwhile, Vega’s CEO, Mr. Ojajuni, has expressed full commitment to delivering a successful, globally competitive event.