Muslim world lags behind in trade ties

DAKAR - Anatolia News Agency

Member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) need to form a common market and concentrate on preferential trade, Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan said in an address to Turkish-Senegalese businessmen in Dakar yesterday. Çağlayan said he believed that the trade volume between Turkey and Senegal would increase.

The total trade volume between OIC member countries is $1.8 trillion and only $152 billion of it was generated by Turkey, he added. Intra-organizational trade among EU-member states constituted 70 percent of their total trade

Senegalese Prime Minister Abdoul Mbaye noted at the business forum that a mission from his country visited Turkey a few months ago. “Turkish businessmen say that they see Senegal as the door to investments in Africa. There are many opportunities for the entrepreneurs of both countries,” he said. A governmental and business mission headed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan completed its six-day trip to Africa yesterday.