SEEKING STRONGER TRADE TIES, GUL TO VISIT GHANA AND GABON NEXT WEEK

In a three-day trip to Africa focused on stronger trade ties, President Abdullah Gul is set next week to visit both Ghana and Gabon. The visit, co-organized by the Turkish Exporters’ Union (TIM) and Turkish Confederation of Industrialists and Businessmen (TUSKON), takes place amid Turkey’s ongoing outreach to Africa, including opening seven embassies and consulates this year and efforts to boost trade ties. Ghana has Africa’s third-largest oil reserves, and Gabon is one of the continent’s most developed countries. Gul will meet with both Ghanian President John Atta Mills and Gabon’s President Ali-Ben Bongo. Trade between Turkey and Gana rose from $175 million in 2009 to $230 million last year.