The Secretary-General of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, Ambassador Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam, has made an appeal to the Government of Türkiye to increase its cooperation in industry and technology with member countries of the organization as a way of reactivating the sector, for better performance.

Ambassador Imam stated this during a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye, H.E. Mehmet Fatih Kacır, held on 17 September 2025, on the sidelines of the TEKNOFEST 2025 (Aerospace and Technology Festival), taking place from 17 to 21 September 2025 at the Atatürk Airport, Istanbul, Türkiye.

He opined that Türkiye, as a leading D-8 Member State in the field of industry and technology, could play a critical role in reactivating D-8 industrial cooperation by hosting the next D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Industry. He suggested that inviting the relevant Ministers of Member States to the next TEKNOFEST could serve as a valuable platform to advance cooperation in technology and innovation, amongst the alliance of nations.

Speaking further, he underlined industry as one of the priority sectors of the organization. However, he noted that no ministerial-level activities had taken place, since the last D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Industry held in 2017 in Abuja, Nigeria.
In his own remarks, the Minister of Industry of Türkiye explained the motive behind the TEKNOFEST initiative, noting that the event has been organized since 2018 and had taken place in different cities across Türkiye, as well as in partner countries, including the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The event had also attracted more than 10,000 international guests.

The Minister emphasized that technological independence and self-sufficiency are vital in today’s world. Minister Kacır further highlighted that the Ministry has supported more than 300,000 research and development (R&D) activities by building the necessary infrastructure, thus promoting new companies working in technology and innovation. He said that investment in technology and R&D had grown from USD 1.2 billion to approximately USD 16 billion, through these initiatives. Türkiye, he stressed, is steadily increasing its independence in the high-tech sector, particularly in the defense industry, where the localization rate had risen from 20% to 85%. He added that value-added projects are being accelerated in various fields such as game-tech, energy-tech, and other emerging technologies.

The Minister also seized the opportunity of this year’s event to reaffirm Türkiye’s commitment to supporting D-8 activities. He expressed readiness to consider hosting the next D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Industry, adding that Türkiye has vast experience, capabilities, and resources in the field of technology, which she was ready to share with fellow member countries.
In his brief remark, the Director of the D-8 Secretariat, Ambassador Mustafa Özcan, emphasized that project-based meetings and joint initiatives will play a crucial role in strengthening collaboration, among the D-8 Member States.

Following the meeting, Ambassador Imam and members of his delegation, visited the booth of leading Turkish technology and innovation companies, including ASELSAN, BAYKAR, and TUSAŞ. These aforementioned companies are ‘big players’ in Türkiye’s industrial advancement with significant presence in the global market. During the visit, the representative of the companies briefed the Secretary General on flagship projects, and innovative products that are contributing to Türkiye’s technological independence and global competitiveness.

The TEKNOFEST Aerospace and Technology Festival was launched in 2018, and is the largest technology and aviation event in Türkiye. It features technology competitions, air shows, concerts, exhibitions, and talks, designed to inspire society’s interest in science and technology and highlight Türkiye’s emergence as a technology-driven developing nation. The festival provides opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young innovators to bring their technological dreams to reality.