The Ambassador of Türkiye to Nigeria, Mr. Mehmet Poroy, has announced that Türkiye will ease its stringent visa ecosystem to encourage travel, tourism, and trade between the two countries.
This move comes barely a week after the leadership of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) returned from a trade penetration and visa regime advocacy visit to Istanbul.
During the visit, NANTA, led by President Mr. Yinka Folami, had urged the Turkish Travels Association Leadership (TURSAB) to intervene in the visa regime, which they believed was hurting trade and tourism visits by Nigerians.
The Ambassador made the announcement at the Türkiye Culinary Week in Abuja, stating that Nigeria and Türkiye have a lot to benefit from open trade in commerce and tourism.
The Turkish government is targeting a 5 billion trade boost and a 40 billion target from the African continent through the ease of visa regimes and engagement.
NANTA President, Mr. Yinka Folami, expressed excitement over the response of the Türkiye Ambassador, urging the Nigerian government to reciprocate by addressing the visa regime concerns of the Türkiye travel trade and business community.
NANTA is currently leading a group of 90 registered members on a training and retraining exposure expedition to Banjul, Gambia, where they will engage in a week-long training program.
The trip is a collaboration between NANTA, Air Peace, and the Gambia Tourism Board, with the Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute facilitating the training certification program.
The development is seen as a positive step towards strengthening economic ties between Nigeria and Türkiye, and NANTA is hopeful that it will lead to increased trade and tourism between the two nations.
