During the recently concluded Istanbul Fashion Connect Exhibition (IFCO) in Turkey, WTC Abuja led top fashion and textile business delegates for a trade mission centered on promoting business and trade opportunities at the Istanbul Expo Center.

IFCO is a contemporary fashion and apparel exhibition that showcases major fashion trends and embodies the local textile industry, nurturing its talent. The exhibition brought together thousands of ready-to-wear brands, agents and designers, who met to expand into new territories through trade and networking. WTC Abuja was both a participant and partner.  The WTC Abuja allocated booth promoted its Trade Services; its Trade Services Manager, Ms. Wuraola Onigbogi, highlighted the possible areas of collaboration between stakeholders.

During the IFCO event, several partnerships were conceived; WTC Istanbul expressed interest in opening up new markets and opportunities for companies in the Middle East and Africa in collaboration with the WTC Abuja, most especially in the area of business matchmaking and trade missions.

Correspondingly, during this trade mission, WTC Abuja paid a courtesy visit to Dis Ekonomik Iliskilen Kurulu (DEIK) known as the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey which is under the Federal Ministry of Trade in Turkey. With its existing business forum, DEIK agreed to work with and assist WTC Abuja with its own trade missions, as well as expose WTC Abuja to a larger network in various sectors in Turkey. DEIK also stated that their next business forum will be co-organised with the WTC Abuja.

WTC Abuja was further connected with Müstakil Isadamlari Dernegi (MUSIAD), an Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association in Turkey. As an association of leading businesspeople around the world with more than 12,500 members, MUSIAD expressed interest in a long-term partnership with the WTC Abuja to promote trade between Nigeria and Turkey; this partnership will enable continuous regular exchanges between both parties on bilateral and multilateral economic and trade issues as well as exchange of expertise, resources and projects.

While rounding off the IFCO, the Istanbul African Business Association (IABA) met with WTC Abuja to discuss itsparticipation in the forthcoming African Textiles Expo and sought for collaborations with WTC Abuja in other trade matters..