The Jafza roadshow in Turkey generated tremendous interest among Turkish business circles looking to use Jebel Ali Free Zone and Dubai as a trade hub.
The team, led by Ibrahim Mohamed Aljanahi, Deputy CEO of Jafza and Chief Commercial Officer of Economic Zones World included Dr. Mohamed Al Banna, VP Commercial Services, Saood Al Khloofi, Head of Middle East and Africa Region, and Mania Merrikhi, Project Manager with Jafza's Marketing and Communications Department.
Aljanahi and his team met Turkish government officials as well as a number of Turkish trade associations, and discussed cooperation and the strengthening of trade relations between Jafza and Turkey.
The 5-day tour of Turkey included a major business seminar which was largely attended by businesses and representatives from the UAE consulate in Istanbul, the Turkish Ministry of Economy, and a number of Turkish business associations and groups.
Companies interested in Jafza were from a broad range of sectors including Food and Beverages, Automotive and Wood Products and Technologies.
A number of companies have committed to visiting Jafza in the near future to further explore possibilities, and Jafza officials are optimistic about seeing a boost in the number of Turkish companies hosted in Jebel Ali Free Zone during the coming year.
There are currently more than 90 Turkish companies operating out of Jafza, and the team is looking to enhance the trade ties with Turkey and bring more Turkish companies to Jafza and Dubai, and help them connect with one of the world's leading Free Zones.
Trade relations between the UAE and Turkey have a long history, and in recent years, the UAE's trade relations with Turkey have grown rapidly, with trade expected to reach US$ 15 billion by next year. Only three years ago, this number was at around US$ 5 billion annually.
Jafza's total trade volume with Turkey stands at around US $734 million for import, export and re-export, and has seen a combined annual growth rate of 22 percent over a ten year period, from 2004 to 2013.