Our Strength Is In Our Entrepreneurial Spirit

Noting that Turkish SMEs exported 80 billion dollars in 2021, KOSGEB President Hasan Basri Kurt said, “A significant part of this 80 billion goes to European countries. These are industrial goods. Wherever you go in the world, it is not easy to find another society that is so dynamic and has such a desire to do business. Our strength is in our entrepreneurial spirit.” said.

The 4th of the European Business Network Conferences was held in Gaziantep.

In addition to KOSGEB President Kurt, Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce President Tuncay Yıldırım, Gaziantep Chamber of Industry President Adnan Ünverdi, Silkroad Development Agency General Secretary Burhan Akyılmaz and Industry and Technology Provincial Director Mustafa Taşdemir attended the conference.

companionship

Making a speech at the conference, KOSGEB President Kurt emphasized that Gaziantep is one of the most important cities whose story will be written in the context of local development, and said, “KOSGEB has a good companionship with Antep. From now on, as KOSGEB, we need to work with all our strength to move our SMEs forward.” said.

Leadership of the Country

Emphasizing that Turkey has achieved significant success in both entrepreneurship and industrial production in the last 20 years, Kurt said, "The country's leadership and human resources factor play an important role in this success." he said.

Digital Competence

Kurt stated that there has been a serious acceleration in digitalization with the pandemic, “We will train consultants who measure digital competence together with TÜBİTAK TÜSSIDE. We will certify them. You go to the companies and you need these in these areas. They will prepare a report that you need to improve yourself in these areas. We will offer our SMEs free of charge. The people we have authorized will reveal the need for digitalization in all our businesses.” said.

Energy efficiency

Noting that they will quickly implement the issue of energy efficiency consultancy in the context of green transformation, Kurt said, “Here, too, they will take a photo of the energy efficiency of the enterprises. Electric motors are the most striking element in terms of consumption. In this regard, we want to start a grant program for those who want to increase energy efficiency.” he said.

Export of SMEs

Explaining that 80 thousand SMEs exported 80 billion dollars in 2021, Kurt said, “A significant part of this 80 billion goes to European countries. These are industrial goods. Antep also has a big share here. Wherever you go in the world, it is not easy to find another society that is so dynamic and has such a desire to do business. Our strength in Turkey is in our entrepreneurial spirit.” said.

Backbone of the Economy

Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce President Tuncay Yıldırım stated that Gaziantep is the insurance of Turkey and said, “SME means the backbone of the economy. About 90 percent of our members are SMEs. Our SMEs need information, training and networking, especially finance. This is where our KOSGEB comes into play. With the support programs it implements, it supports the development of our SMEs and the acquisition of new entrepreneurs in our economy.” said.

KOSGEB Supports are Important

Gaziantep Chamber of Industry President Adnan Ünverdi noted that Gaziantep is home to more than 5 thousand producing companies and said, “Turkey is the second country with the highest growth rate after China last year. Gaziantep was one of the two cities that increased its exports during this period. We are in a different place at the point of production. We have to improve ourselves. For this, the support of KOSGEB is very important for us.” he said.

Coordination Meeting

After the conference, KOSGEB President Kurt held a coordination meeting with the KOSGEB provincial directors of Gaziantep and surrounding provinces.