Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The Bingöl National Women Entrepreneurship Congress, hosted by the TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Board, Bingöl Governorship, Bingöl Municipality, Bingöl Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bingöl University and Fırat Development Agency, hosted by Bingöl Chamber of Industry and Commerce Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was held at Bingöl University.

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu talked about the importance of female entrepreneurs in the economy. Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that the wife and the man are like two wings of a bird, "Without one, the bird can not fly. Bingöl stands out because he moves with this vision. I also congratulate our Chamber of Deputies Mahmut Ayas, the brother of this congress, who made it happen. Mahmut President, in the first years, in Bingöl many principles were signed, "he said.

- Bingöl's treasures

Hisarcıklıoğlu said that Bingöl deserves the best service and emphasized that they also provide support as best they can as TOBB. Hisarcıklıoğlu reported that 480 earthquake houses were built in 2003-2004; the Cevdet Yilmaz Middle School was built in 2015 in addition to which significant investments have been attracted to Bingöl as a part of the Attraction Centers program. The Bingöl University has also become the largest university in its region. Stating that Bingöl has many untapped treasures Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed to Buban Chimneys, Haserek Ski Center, Floating Island, Ata Park, Cold Fountain as tourism centers. Bingöl Höney, and Mulberry Molasses are local goods

- Women a must for prosperity

Hisarcıklıoğlu, pointing out that a great treasure has yet to be utilized, said “Our women are of the greatest importance. Of course, they have it hard. It is not enough to combat the difficulties in business life, they also have to deal with men. Therefore, it is our most important duty is to support women; to reduce the obstacles in front of them. Half of the population are women, but we are unable to induct them into the workforce. We are the last in the world for women's participation in the workforce.”

- We need privilege for female entrepreneurs

“If we catch up to the OECD average in the rate of participation of women in the workforce, by 2025, we would be 250bn USD richer,” Hisarcıklıoğlu said and went on, “While our esteemed ministers and parliamentary representatives are here, I would also like to make a request. We would like privileges for women entrepreneurs in public procurement. Free booths in domestic exhibitions, priority for SME venture capital, access to CGF financing network.

I see the internet and technology as a very important opportunity for our women. It's no longer necessary to sit in a shop all day, like old men. It became possible to sell goods without a brick and mortar store.

Now the cycle has changed. If you want to produce at home, if you want to earn from the house, there are many great opportunities for it. Technology offers a tremendous opportunity for women to participate in the economy. With technology becoming more ingrained in business, the East-West division is coming to an end. If you have access to the internet, you are actually at the center of the world. As TOBB, we started to work closely with the major technology companies of the world. Now we are about to complete the Women Writing the Future project with Turkcell.”

Asking women to trust themselves, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, "Trust the future of Turkey! Join the councils of chambers and commodity exchanges. We need you; we trust you. We want your mark and signature to be on the grand dreams of our beautiful country. This won’t happen without you!”

- Customs and Commerce Minister Bülent Tüfenkci

Customs and Commerce Minister Bülent Tüfenkci said, “We see that 500,919 companies are managed by women. We observe that our companies, which have women managers, are much more successful.”

According to the database compiled by the Ministry, Tüfenkci reported that there are 1,889,277 commercial companies and commercial enterprises in Turkey, and that 530,265 of them boast women partners.

Tüfenkci said, “In particular, we want our entrepreneurial women in TOBB to actively participate in the chambers and commodity exchange elections. I am an adherent of affirmative action in the business world. Because I always believe in equality of opportunity.

I also believe that women and men are complementary elements.”

- AK Party Deputy Chairman Cevdet Yılmaz

AK Party Deputy Chairman Cevdet Yılmaz said, “Our women, our daughters should be prepared for the future with very good education and this is the essence of entrepreneurship. We’ve come a long way to this end in the last 15 years.

Representatives of the congress Family and Social Policy Minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, Governor Ali Mantı, Mayor Yücel Barakazi and non-governmental organizations also attended the two-day congress.