Information Technologies and Communication Authority hosted the third SMEs and Informatics Congress held this year.
The event, organized by the Turkish Informatics Association in collaboration with the Ankara Chamber of Industry, Ankara Chamber of Trade, and KOSGEB, was attended by Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, BTK President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, KOSGEB Deputy President Dr. Recep Kılınç, ASO Board Member Özgür Savaş Özüdoğru, TBD President Rahmi Aktepe, and guests from the informatics sector.
Deputy Minister of UAB Sayan delivered a speech emphasizing the importance of SMEs using information technologies. Stating that borders have been completely eliminated with informatics technologies, Sayan noted that online network systems have turned the world into a small village, but at the same time into a massive market with much more intense competition.
Deputy Minister Sayan: Progress in Information Technologies is a Great Opportunity for SMEs
Emphasizing that those who integrate informatics technologies into their structures are constantly increasing their growth rates and shares from global trade, and as a reflection of this, the value and quality of countries' commercial and economic lives are also increasing at the same rate, Sayan stated that this development and progress also means opportunities and possibilities.
Pointing out that SMEs' inclination to use informatics technologies remains somewhat below expectations, Sayan said, "We want SMEs to see informatics technologies not as a necessity, but as an opportunity. This is an opportunity that will carry them to the top of the success ranking."
Drawing attention to the fact that informatics technologies for SMEs should not mean just owning a website, Sayan assessed, "In the global world today, companies have almost zero chance of saying 'I won't invest in technology, I'll succeed by preferring traditional ways.'"
Sayan stated that domestic and national production should be prioritized when integrating information technologies into businesses and added: "Our goal as a country is great. We want to see Türkiye among the world's top 10 economies in 2023. We are struggling all-out for this. Thanks to the 'National Technology Move' initiated under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we have achieved very important accomplishments in the technology field and will continue to do so. One of the best examples of this is 5G."
Emphasizing that 5G marks the beginning of a new era where everything except individual users communicates with each other and the virtual dimension comes to the fore, Sayan also announced that the "5G Valley" will be opened in Istanbul in October.
Drawing attention to the importance of SMEs, which constitute more than 99% of the country's total enterprises and contribute approximately 55% of total employment to the economy, Sayan called on SMEs to invest in technology with the words: "As the ministry, we are ready to provide all kinds of support to SMEs in the field of information and technology. All you need to do is want to adapt to this new world order."
President Karagözoğlu: We Must Prioritize Domestic and National Software
BTK President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu also spoke at the opening of the program. Pointing out that technology has reached wider masses than ever before in today's world, Karagözoğlu said that new inventions are made every day. Expressing that very rapid changes and transformations are being witnessed in almost every phase of life, from the economy to health, from the development of communication tools to progress in transportation, Karagözoğlu said, "These developments show that those who do not use information technologies cannot survive."
Stating that it is inevitable for SMEs, which play an important role in growth, prosperity, and employment growth, to benefit from technology in the most effective way to gain competitive advantage internationally, Karagözoğlu expressed that the gains to be achieved in this period, which is the golden age of information technologies, can be listed as multiplying qualified human resources, increasing domestic and national products, and accelerating the productization process.
Drawing attention to the need to prioritize domestic and national software and products, Karagözoğlu called out, "We want our companies to first produce domestic products in their fields and also prefer domestic and national products among the ones they will use. This will bring us closer to our country's goals."