Dar Es Salaam — AFRICAN countries deserve to consume goods with high quality just like any other country in the world and that Turkey is committed to deliver goods and services to Tanzania with the same quality offered to the people of Turkey.

"But it is important to raise the awareness in the two countries so that people in Africa can understand that they deserve to consume goods which are of high quality," said the Foreign Economic Relations Board, African Coordinator (DEIK), President Tamer Taskin.

"We are now learning about Africa in order to meet their market expectations and demands," he said.

Mr Taskin said that Turkey has a marketing strategy that is based on improving the quality of its products, while at the same time taking into consideration the market needs and affordability.

"We always want to find out what our competitors are offering in the market and look into the challenges of how to overcome our shortfalls," he explained.

Since consumers are going to find out that the products are short lived and expensive, Turkish companies do not stop to look for alternative ways of producing competitive products at affordable prices without compromising the standards, he added.

He also said that Turkish manufacturers have the culture of supplying goods anywhere in the world with the same specifications offered in Turkey and the European markets.

He further said that it was in the same principle that the Turkish companies cannot ignore consumers' health or provide them with substandard goods.

Meanwhile, Turkish companies are working with their counterparts in Tanzania to sign an agreement for setting up a Tanzanite gemstone project, said the president.

He added that it was in the interest of Turkey to ensure that the two countries equally benefit in terms of income realised under the project.

"We are still committed to undertake this project as well as other ones which are still in the pipeline in a win-win situation," said Mr Taskin.

He also cautioned the businesspeople in the country not to engage in any business transaction with any Turkish company without consulting them.

"We are representing the entire business community here in Turkey, and for the business people to be on the safe side they should always consult us," he said.