Ghana-Turkey trade reaches $888m
Trade relations between Ghana and Turkey continue to strengthen, with bilateral trade hitting USD888 million in 2023, driven largely by Ghana’s exports of gold and Turkey’s supply of manufactured goods.
The two nations are now eyeing a USD1 billion trade milestone by 2027, leveraging platforms such as the 2025 WCI Forum to fast-track investment and commercial collaboration.
According to official figures, Ghana exported over USD614 million worth of goods, mainly gold, to Turkey last year, while Turkey exported an estimated USD274 million worth of products, including pasta, flour, textiles, machinery, and industrial inputs. The trade composition reflects Ghana’s resource-rich export profile and Turkey’s growing role as a global manufacturing hub with expanding interest in African markets.
As part of efforts to deepen trade ties, the 13th edition of the World Cooperation Industries (WCI) Forum is scheduled to take place from August 12 to 13, 2025, at the WOW Convention Centre in Istanbul, Turkey.
The event is expected to bring together over 500 Turkish manufacturers and more than 2,000 African business executives, government officials, and investors from across the continent.
Billed as a high-impact business-to-business (B2B) platform, the WCI Forum aims to create direct linkages between Turkish suppliers and African importers, distributors, and project developers across strategic sectors such as construction, agriculture, textiles, furniture, energy, and industrial equipment.
Organizers say the forum will feature matchmaking sessions, sector-focused exhibitions, and networking activities aimed at fostering real-time deal-making and long-term partnerships. Special sessions will also address trade facilitation, supply chain resilience, and financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The Istanbul forum follows a successful edition held earlier this year in Accra, Ghana, where hundreds of businesses discussed partnerships in agribusiness, infrastructure, and renewable energy. That event laid the foundation for what many now view as a new era of economic diplomacy between Turkey and Africa.
With annual exports exceeding USD225 billion and a domestic population of over 85 million, Turkey is positioning itself as a key trading partner for Africa, particularly through its export-oriented SME sector known for competitively priced, quality goods.
According to organizers, interest in the forum is high, and early registration is strongly encouraged, especially for participants seeking slots in the limited-capacity B2B matchmaking sessions.
The event is open to export-ready companies, trade promotion agencies, and policy institutions across Africa looking to establish long-term trade and investment relationships with Turkish counterparts.
As anticipation builds for the August forum, analysts say the WCI Forum is set to deliver not only commercial gains but also help shape strategic trade alliances that support economic diversification, industrialization, and job creation across both regions.
