Following several months of preparation, the Seychelles Investment Board (SIB) is today running its forum in Istanbul, Turkey with the aim of attracting investors to our shores.

Speaking earlier this week members of the forum’s organising committee have expressed optimism as to the outcome of the drive to woo Turkish investors to come here to set up a business or engage in business deals with local traders.

The focus of this forum is mainly the trade, financial services and the tourism sector.
“Turkey is a major exporter of various goods including construction materials and consumables and there are great potentials for development in trade between the two countries,” SIB’s chief executive Sherin Renaud pointed out. 

Representatives for this sector are accompanying the delegation to Turkey for networking.

The SIB is working closely with the Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey (Tuskon) to rally potential traders and investors to take part in the forum where over 100 businesses are expected to take part.

Sabrina Agathine, the director of Investment Development, noted that there has been some very good and encouraging responses from the business community to do business with Turkey, which offers great potentials for import of very good quality products at very competitive prices.

She noted that already there is business going on between local traders and Turkish businesses, more specifically in the importation of foodstuff but added that this stands to increase further once the business community in Turkey learn more about the business environment and investment possibilities Seychelles has to offer.

Mrs Agathine noted that apart from presentations from representatives of different sectors who will provide potential investors with adequate general information on Seychelles, the legal environment and economic climate for businesses to develop and prosper, private investors like Palm Golding  of Eden Island will also make presentations on doing business here.

The organising committee members said the SIB will also engage in gathering information on shipping and other sectors for the benefit of many local interested parties not part of the delegation.

The chief executive of SIB said she is optimistic of the outcome of such a forum in a high potential market like Turkey for foreign direct investment and trade activities.

It is to be noted that Turkey’s present economic stability places it among the 10 most performing economies in the world, thus making it timely for Seychelles to be tapping into this market now.
Mrs Renaud said previous forums are bearing fruitful results.

“There has been a lot of interest shown in Seychelles following the different forums SIB has organised so far in New York, Brussels, Johannesburg and Cape Town.

“People take time to decide and gather all the information they require before making a final decision to invest money in a country,” said Mrs Renaud.

She noted that after an investor finally decides and expresses the desire to do business here, the project proposed has to go through a series of different process before it is realised.

She said following the Brussels forum in 2010, a number of projects are presently in the final stages of implementation.

Apart from the usual presentations on various aspects of doing business with local traders and the  numerous business potentials Seychelles offers, the local delegation will also engage in one to one meetings with those present for the forum.

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