The Women's Power for Development Project Launched at TİM
Mustafa Gültepe: We seek to integrate our women into the economic arena in a stronger and more effective manner. With this awareness, nearly one year ago we launched our TİM WINGS project, which provides additional advantages to our women entrepreneurs. Today, we are gathered once again to share our new project for women with the public. Within the scope of this one-year project, which we will implement in cooperation with UKODER, we will provide training and consultancy services to women in seven provinces who are engaged in foreign trade or who aspire to learn foreign trade.
Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM) President Mustafa Gültepe stated that women assume highly significant roles in the economic development of the country. Gültepe emphasized that they aim to integrate more strongly into the system the women who are building Türkiye's future through production and exports.
“Our women are building Türkiye's export future”
Speaking at the introductory meeting of the Women's Power for Development Project, which will be implemented by TİM and the Women in International Trade Organization Association (UKODER), Gültepe underlined that he regards production and exports as the locomotive of the national economy. Stressing that at least half of economic growth must stem from exports, Gültepe continued as follows:
“We are carrying out numerous initiatives to benefit from Türkiye's export potential at the maximum level. Naturally, in this process, the role of our women is of paramount importance. Today, our women are building Türkiye's future in production, exports, entrepreneurship, and leadership. As TİM, we aim to integrate more of our women into the system in a stronger manner. With this awareness, nearly one year ago we launched our TİM WINGS project, which provides additional advantages to our women entrepreneurs. Within the scope of the project, we signed a highly significant cooperation agreement with the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) and established the 'Women Entrepreneur Certification Criterion'. The certificate is granted to enterprises whose management and ownership belong to women entrepreneurs. As of 30 January 2026, approximately 100 of our companies have become entitled to receive the certificate, and 44 of them are actively using it. Our certified companies can access special financing and collateral facilities provided in cooperation with Eximbank and İGE A.Ş. In addition, they can benefit from additional advantages within the Ministry of Trade's overseas market research support programs. Today, we are also gathered to launch a new project for our women. Within the scope of the project, which we will carry out with UKODER and which will last for one year, we will provide training and consultancy services to women who are engaged in foreign trade or who wish to learn foreign trade in seven designated provinces across seven regions. With the six-month implementation phase, we aim to transform theoretical knowledge into new successes in the field.”
Gültepe added that, with the contributions of women, they will advance toward their medium- and long-term export targets in a much stronger manner.
“We will provide 45 billion lira in support to our exporters this year”
Director General of Trade Mehmet Ali Kılıçkaya stated in his speech that, as the Ministry of Trade, they aim to increase exports in a sustainable manner. Providing information on the supports offered by the Ministry of Trade to exporters, Kılıçkaya said, “As the Ministry, we have established a mechanism that supports exports at every stage. From trade fair supports to design, from market research to branding, we provide assistance at all phases of the export process. In 2025, within this framework, we provided approximately 33 billion lira in support to 25,000 of our exporters. This year, we have increased the amount of support to be provided solely for goods exports to 45 billion lira.”
“We will implement the Women's Power for Development Project in three phases”
Chairperson of the Women in International Trade Organization Association (UKODER) Çiğdem Ağdağ also shared information about the Women's Power for Development Project. Stating that the three-phase plan will be implemented in Tekirdağ, Aydın, Trabzon, Gaziantep, Erzurum, Konya, and Mersin, Ağdağ said, “In the first phase, we will conduct in-person training programs for women entrepreneurs and women professionals. In the second phase, we will support these in-person programs with online training. The online trainings will be delivered by expert academics, sector professionals, and practitioner specialists. In the third phase, we will match the women we have trained with volunteer women customs brokers and initiate a six-month free mentorship process. Forty women customs brokers will take part in this process.”
Among the partners of the one-year project, in addition to TİM and UKODER, are the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Interior, and Istanbul Medipol University.