North West Province Investment Summit

Dear Member,

In the letter sent to our Chamber by TOBB, with reference to the Ministry of Trade's letter dated 16.06.2023 and numbered E-68460249-451.99-00086465112, , and with reference to the letter received from the Commercial Counsellor's Office in Pretoria, it is noted that our Commercial Counsellor's Office participated in the 'Human Settlements Investment and Alternative Building Technologies Summit' organized on 26 May 2023 by the Department of Human Settlements (North West Provincial Government Department of Human Settlements) in North West Province, one of the 9 provinces of the Republic of South Africa.

The letter further states that, at the event, which was opened by the "Member of the Executive Council for Human Settlements" Minister, information was exchanged on investment opportunities relating to mass housing projects in the North West Region and presentations were made on alternative building technologies; that the Province is located in a rural area and its main economic activities are predominantly mining and agriculture; that, according to 2022 figures, it has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 52.3%; and that, in this context, mass housing projects offering cost advantages and rapid installation, such as prefabricated/modular structures, are being encouraged by the Provincial administration and a subsidy programme is being implemented for residents of the Province who will become homeowners for the first time.

At the said meeting, the following information was provided by our Commercial Counsellor's Office about the Turkish Contracting Sector;

• that Turkish contractors carry out very important projects on the African continent such as the construction of roads, bridges, tunnels and airports, but currently have no projects in South Africa,
• that Türkiye ranks second after China in the list of the World's top 250 contractors with 42 Turkish Companies,
• that there are major business/tender opportunities for Turkish contractors in South Africa, and that, due to the "Black Economic Empowerment Act", the requirement to have a black partner and to employ a certain proportion of black workers in order to participate in public tenders constitutes an obstacle to entering the South African market,
• that there are a great many contracting companies in our country experienced in alternative building mass housing projects such as those planned for North West Province, and that Turkish products are world leaders in terms of cost advantage and quality.

It is considered that there are opportunities for our country's contractors in prefabricated housing projects in North West Province, and it is stated that our Commercial Counsellor's Office in Pretoria ([email protected]) can be contacted for detailed information.

Kind regards,

Elazığ Chamber of Commerce and Industry