ANKARA’S COMPETITIVENESS WILL RISE THROUGH COMMON WISDOM AND PRODUCTION
ACI CHAIRMAN ARDIÇ: “IN THE SECOND CENTURY OF OUR REPUBLIC, WE WILL MAKE ANKARA THE CAPITAL OF PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY”
The “Ankara Economy Summit,” organized in cooperation with the Ankara Chamber of Industry (ACI), Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO), Ankara Commodity Exchange (ATB) and Ekonomi Newspaper, was held with the participation of Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat. Speaking at the opening of the summit, ACI Chairman Seyit Ardıç said, “In the second century of our Republic, we will make Ankara not only the capital of administration, but also the capital of production, technology and entrepreneurship. Because the true competitiveness of a city is not measured by the number of its factories, but by its capacity to mobilize its potential in different fields around a common purpose through common wisdom. Ankara has this capacity.”
The “Ankara Economy Summit,” organized in cooperation with the Ankara Chamber of Industry (ACI), Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO), Ankara Commodity Exchange (ATB) and Ekonomi Newspaper, was attended by Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, Ankara Chamber of Industry Chairman Seyit Ardıç, Public Procurement Authority President Hamdi Güleç, Ankara Chamber of Commerce Chairman Gürsel Baran, Ankara Commodity Exchange Chairman Faik Yavuz, OSTIM Chairman Orhan Aydın, Anadolu Organized Industrial Zone Chairman Hüseyin Kutsi Tuncay, ACI Board Member Levent Akçakoca, Ekonomi Newspaper Chairman of the Board Hakan Güldağ, and many representatives from the public and business sectors. At the summit, Ankara’s economic development and solution proposals for existing challenges were discussed through the “Industry,” “Trade,” and “Agriculture and Food” panels.
In his opening speech at the summit, Ankara Chamber of Industry Chairman Seyit Ardıç stated that Ankara has a strong industrial infrastructure, universities, technoparks, R&D centers and qualified human resources, and said, “But the real question is this: Are all these elements part of a single whole that communicates with one another, or are they separate islands standing side by side without interaction? Today, we are here precisely to seek an answer to this question.”
“IF INDUSTRY, TRADE AND AGRICULTURE CAN SIT AT THE SAME TABLE, THAT CITY BEGINS TO GROW”
Chairman Ardıç said, “If the industry, trade and agriculture of a city can sit at the same table, that city has begun to grow. Industry produces; trade carries this value to the market; and agriculture forms the foundation not only of economic security but also of social security. When these three areas interact with one another, cities gain competitiveness and countries accelerate their development journey.”
“WHAT A COUNTRY PRODUCES AND WHERE IT PRODUCES IT IS NOW A MATTER OF SECURITY AND COMPETITIVENESS”
Stating that geopolitical fractures, artificial intelligence, green transformation and the reconfiguration of supply chains are rewriting the rules of production, Chairman Ardıç said, “Just as industrial revolutions established new balances of power, the global power map is being redrawn in this era extending from artificial intelligence to semiconductors, from critical minerals to the data economy. All these developments have one common outcome: what a country produces and where it produces it has now become a matter of security and competitiveness. For the first time, the economic value of knowledge is surpassing physical capital. Because the world now looks not only at what you produce, but also at how and with whom you produce it, and how quickly you can transform knowledge into value. This is exactly where the new competition begins.”
“WHAT WE NEED IS NOT NEW INCENTIVES, BUT A NEW MINDSET THAT WILL REBUILD OUR UNDERSTANDING OF PRODUCTION”
Stating that the economy cannot be managed solely by discussing today’s interest rates, exchange rates or monthly growth figures, Chairman Ardıç said, “These are important, but they are only thermometers. Our duty is not to measure the fever, but to treat the root cause of the illness. What we need today is not merely new incentives, but a new mindset that will rebuild our understanding of production. Societies that only follow the daily agenda miss the future. Our task is to discuss today how the world will produce ten years from now, which technologies will come to the forefront, and where Ankara will position itself in that picture.”
“WE MUST BRING OUR YOUNG POPULATION TOGETHER WITH THE PRODUCTION NETWORK”
Stating that the new era offers important opportunities for Türkiye, Chairman Ardıç said, “Our strong production tradition, entrepreneurial culture and young population strengthen our hand. But we must not forget that a young population alone is not an advantage. If we cannot connect this talent with the right production network, we will have to watch our brightest minds migrate to other countries. What we must do is not only find jobs for our young people, but also keep them in these lands where knowledge and technology are produced.”
“OUR PROBLEM IS THE DEPTH IN TRANSFORMING KNOWLEDGE INTO ADDED VALUE”
Providing information on the Provincial Technological Development Index (ACI-İLTEK) implemented by the Ankara Chamber of Industry, Chairman Ardıç said, “ACI-İLTEK is a compass that measures the technology production capacity, research infrastructure and digital maturity of our provinces through scientific data. ACI-İLTEK tells us something very clearly: Ankara is the province with the highest technology production capacity in Türkiye. We rank first in this field. But being first is only half of the issue. A city’s high technology capacity and the spread of that technology across the entire economy are not the same thing. This is Türkiye’s real issue: a depth gap. In other words, our problem is often not access to knowledge, but the depth in transforming that knowledge into products, added value and exports.”
“WE MUST PRESERVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF PRODUCTION”
Stating that industrialists are simultaneously struggling with high commercial loan interest rates, difficulties in access to finance, rising production costs, exchange rate pressure and weakening demand in export markets, Chairman Ardıç said, “All of these factors are eroding profitability. While approximately one-third of our Chamber members closed last year with a loss, the number of our loss-making companies has doubled in the last two years. Despite all these difficulties, our industrialists are making great efforts to maintain production. They are trying to preserve employment and continue exports, even at a loss, in order not to lose foreign markets. This is the main issue we must focus on today. We must preserve the sustainability of production.”
“STABILITY MEANS INDUSTRIALISTS BEING ABLE TO SEE AHEAD”
Stating that stability in the economy cannot be assessed only through price indicators and figures, Chairman Ardıç said:
“Stability also means industrialists being able to see ahead and investors being able to make long-term plans. Therefore, strengthening selective and target-oriented financing mechanisms for our companies that produce, create employment and export is of great importance. Because the path to sustainable prosperity runs through production, and the sustainability of production depends on a strong, competitive and high value-added industrial structure.”
“THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY IS ANKARA’S TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL”
Stating that Ankara is the country’s strategic production center in the fields of defense, aviation, machinery, medical technologies, software and electronics, Chairman Ardıç said, “Last year, with 18.5 billion dollars in exports, we became Türkiye’s second-largest exporting province. High-technology products accounted for 13 percent of these exports, far above the Turkish average. Five of the world’s top 100 defense industry companies are producing in this city. The defense industry is no longer only a matter of security. It is Ankara’s technology school. Here, a tremendous engineering accumulation has emerged, from software to artificial intelligence, from precision manufacturing to advanced materials. But if this accumulation remains confined to a single sector, we will both waste this know-how and make our industry dependent on a single sector.”
“ACI TECHNOLOGY BASE WILL BRING UNIVERSITIES, INDUSTRY AND ENTREPRENEURS TOGETHER UNDER THE SAME ROOF”
Providing information on the two major projects of the Ankara Chamber of Industry, the “ACI Technology Base” and the “ACI Free Zone,” Chairman Ardıç continued:
“The ACI Technology Base will bring together the technology accumulated in defense, the research power of universities, entrepreneurship and the production capability of industry under the same roof. Universities, industry and entrepreneurs will become part of the same circuit. R&D, production and commercialization will feed one another. Most importantly, it will keep young minds in Ankara. Once the ACI Technology Base reaches full capacity, we expect it to contribute approximately 1.5 billion dollars annually to our exports, create 18,000 qualified jobs and host more than 800 companies.
Our second project is the ACI Ankara Free Zone, located right next to it. We are establishing it together with the Ankara Development Agency on an area of 4.2 million square meters owned by our Chamber. We aim to host approximately 200 companies, create employment for 40,000 people and contribute around 4 billion dollars annually to exports. These two projects will not operate separately, but by complementing each other: one will produce technology, and the other will carry it to global markets.
Of course, our path is not without challenges. Access to finance, qualified workforce and delays in transforming ideas into market value are real difficulties that our industrialists face every day. We know these problems and do not ignore them. But we will overcome them not by moving away from production and technology, but by holding on to them even more strongly. And we cannot do this alone. We need the businesspeople, academics and every institution in this hall. Because this vision is not only the vision of the Ankara Chamber of Industry; it is Ankara’s shared vision.”
“IN THE SECOND CENTURY OF OUR REPUBLIC, WE WILL MAKE ANKARA THE CAPITAL OF PRODUCTION, TECHNOLOGY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP”
Stating that the economies of the future will be built not by countries rich in underground resources, but by cities that can take knowledge deepest into production, Chairman Ardıç said, “This is precisely the historic opportunity before Ankara.
In the second century of our Republic, we will make Ankara not only the capital of administration, but also the capital of production, technology and entrepreneurship. Because the true competitiveness of a city is not measured by the number of its factories, but by its capacity to mobilize its potential in different fields around a common purpose through common wisdom. Ankara has this capacity. When we activate this potential, ‘Strong Ankara, stronger Türkiye’ will not be just a statement, but a reality.”
Following the opening speeches, the “Industry Panel” was held under the moderation of Ekonomi Newspaper Chairman of the Board Hakan Güldağ, with the participation of Ankara Chamber of Industry Secretary General Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cansız, Ankara Development Agency Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duhan Kalkan, Attorney at Law, and METU Department of Economics Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Erol Taymaz. ACI Secretary General Prof. Dr. Cansız shared his assessments on Ankara industry’s transformation vision, the transition to high-technology production, qualified human resources and R&D, as well as the interaction between the defense industry and civilian sectors.
