Kampala — THE Vice-President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, has advised African countries to concentrate on open trade and desist from begging for aid.

He invited Turkey and other countries to trade with Africa, which, he said, has minerals and natural resources. Bukenya said Africa needed to build capacity for energy and infrastructure.

He was on Tuesday addressing a conference on global business in Turkey's capital city Istanbul. The conference, which started on Tuesday, was organised by the Confederation of the Turkish Businessmen and Industrialists.

Bukenya commended Turkey for helping Africa to become a purchasing power by establishing schools on the continent. He also urged Turkey to invest in agriculture.

According to Bukenya, Africa faced high import commodity prices and low export prices because of the global crisis. He said aid to Africa had reduced and the number of unemployed people had increased.

Bukenya added that Uganda's concentration on a private-led economy was intended to protect it from the negative impact of the financial crisis. Meanwhile, Turkish businessmen have expressed interest in investing in Uganda's small-scale hydro projects and cement manufacturing. They expressed their interest during a meeting with Bukenya and state minister for industry Simon Lokodo in Turkey.