As part of his itinerary in Afyonkarahisar, Minister Kacır visited the Mesalas tire factory in the Emirdağ Organized Industrial Zone (OIZ) and the Marble Academy in the İscehisar Marble Specialized OIZ. He inspected the production facilities of the Cumhuriyet Sucukları factory—operating within the Afyonkarahisar OIZ—and visited the Pharmaceutical Production Center at Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University (AFSÜ).
Kacır inaugurated the Afyonkarahisar Industry and Technology Projects and, in his speech at the event, expressed his hope that the 14 projects—designed to contribute to the city's growth and development—would prove beneficial.
Noting that—under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—they have implemented a powerful development drive that addresses the nation's needs, expands the cities' capabilities, and advances the country's competitiveness, Minister Kacır stated the following:
DEVELOPMENT DRIVE: Guided by a vision that anticipates the needs of the future—not just the present—we are working toward a greater, stronger, and more prosperous Türkiye. We are elevating our country to the ranks of the world’s leading hubs for manufacturing and technology development. In the "Century of Türkiye," we are leveraging our cities' accumulated expertise, human capital, and production capacity, while spreading production, employment, and exports to every corner of Anatolia. With its deep-rooted industrial culture, entrepreneurial spirit, robust agricultural and food potential, natural resources, and strategic location, Afyonkarahisar stands as a pioneering and exemplary city in our Development Drive.
COMPETITIVENESS: As the Ministry of Industry and Technology, we are implementing projects in collaboration with local stakeholders to expand our city's production capacity, mobilize new investments, boost the competitiveness of our businesses, and foster greater prosperity in Afyonkarahisar. The projects and services we have delivered to Afyonkarahisar over the past 23 years serve as the most tangible proof of the importance we place on the city's development. To drive growth in investment, employment, production, and exports, we have increased the number of Organized Industrial Zones (OIZs) in Afyonkarahisar from 6 to 9 and expanded their total area from 425 hectares to 2,624 hectares over the last 23 years.
INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS: Our marble industry holds a distinguished place in Afyonkarahisar’s production capacity. With its rich marble reserves, deep-rooted production experience, and successful enterprises, our city ranks among the country’s leading production and export hubs in the natural stone sector. The İscehisar Marble Organized Industrial Zone (OIZ) serves as a production base that enhances the sector's capabilities, enables our companies to grow collectively, and allows Afyonkarahisar marble to reach global markets with higher added value. Today, we are placing the completed infrastructure—covering an area of 256 hectares—at the service of our industrialists. Through this infrastructure, we are increasing our region's capacity to host new investments and paving the way for growth in production, employment, and exports within our marble sector.
INVESTMENT AND EMPLOYMENT: We have provided 2 billion liras in support to date—through KOSGEB—to the SMEs that play a pivotal role in the growth of local entrepreneurship and in connecting our city to new opportunities. Thanks to our investment incentive system, we have paved the way for 164 billion liras in investments and the creation of over 28,000 jobs in Afyonkarahisar. Under our new incentive system, our Ministry covers half of the employer's share of Social Security Institution (SGK) premiums for eight years for employees hired for investments realized in Afyonkarahisar’s organized industrial zones. We have raised the financing support limit to 30 million liras for loans used in investments within the city and are offering a 9.25-point financing contribution. Furthermore, we provide tax reductions with an investment contribution rate of up to 30 percent, depending on the nature of the investment. We provide VAT exemption and customs duty exemption for investment machinery.
NEW INCENTIVE SYSTEM: Under the first call for the Local Development Initiative Incentive Program—a key component of our new incentive system—we are supporting two investment projects worth 442 million liras focused on aquaculture using geothermal resources and the production of plant-based food supplements. Within the scope of the Local Development Initiative program, for which we updated the support categories in early 2026, we have received applications for two additional projects in our city—totaling 113 million liras in investment value—targeting the utilization of geothermal resources, aquaculture, and high-value-added production from marble waste. For each project supported under this program, we will provide financial backing of up to 301 million liras and a tax reduction equivalent to 50 percent of the investment.
LOCAL DEVELOPMENT: We aim to elevate Afyonkarahisar to a model position in terms of local development by leveraging the city's immense potential. With this vision, we have provided 1.2 billion liras in support for 402 projects carried out in our province through the Zafer Development Agency. Today, we are inaugurating 11 projects that will be realized with the support of the Zafer Development Agency and will accelerate our city's development journey. Through these projects, we are unlocking our city's potential across a wide spectrum of areas—ranging from gastronomy to tourism, women's entrepreneurship to youth employment, and healthcare to energy efficiency.
A NEW ATTRACTION HUB: Through the "Afyon Cuisine on the Path to Becoming a Brand" project, we created a new attraction hub that blends our local flavors and handicrafts with tourism, adding value to our city's gastronomic brand. With the "Center for Developing and Supporting Women's Production," we established production workshops in six districts and a coordination center in the city center, paving the way for women to participate more strongly in economic and social life. Through the "Women's Cultural Cooperatives Growing via E-Export" project, we enabled our women's cooperatives to expand their product ranges. With the "E-Sports Growing with Youth in Afyonkarahisar" project, we set up a modern workshop where young people can develop their skills in e-sports. By transforming an idle water tank in Bolvadin into the Horan Science House and Space Observatory, we brought our children and youth together with science and space.
NEW INVESTMENTS: While enriching the Hüdai Thermal Springs in Sandıklı with alternative tourism opportunities, we transformed the region into a destination for new investments and visitors by integrating its historical and cultural heritage into tourism through the "Ayazini: Heart of Phrygia" project. With the fully automated, modern mushroom production facility established at Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, we provided employment opportunities for women and hands-on training for students. Through the "A Remedy for Afyonkarahisar" project, we equipped our university and city with research infrastructure to support the development of generic drugs, thereby paving the way for new capabilities in health technologies. Thanks to the SCADA Heat Center Automation System in Sandıklı and the AFJET SCADA System implemented in the Afyonkarahisar city center... We enabled geothermal energy to be managed in a more efficient, effective, and smart manner.
ZAFER TECHNOPARK: We can elevate our country to the position it deserves in the "Century of Türkiye" by increasing high value-added production, advancing our technology development capabilities, and further expanding our pool of skilled human resources. Zafer Technopark plays a pivotal role in transforming knowledge generated at our universities into technology, innovative ideas into ventures, and R&D activities into value-added products and services. To further strengthen our Technopark’s ties with the industry, we have established a new service building—featuring 4,000 square meters of indoor space—within the Afyonkarahisar Organized Industrial Zone, with the support of our Ministry. In doing so, we will ensure that R&D activities respond more rapidly to the industry's actual needs, facilitate the faster integration of innovative solutions into production processes, and streamline the commercialization of successful projects.
NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP: Our greatest strength in realizing the goals of the "Century of Türkiye" is the dynamism, determination, courage, and creative drive of our youth. With this vision, we have established a National Technology Workshop at Afyon Kocatepe University. In this workshop—realized with 30 million liras of support from TÜBİTAK—we offer young people the opportunity to develop projects across a wide spectrum of fields, ranging from electronics and robotics to artificial intelligence, software technologies, digital manufacturing, and prototyping. Here, our youth transform their ideas into tangible products, develop new technologies, and strengthen a culture of research and collaborative production. While preparing for science and technology competitions, they also take the first steps of their entrepreneurial journeys within these workshops. PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT: We will continue to boost Afyonkarahisar’s production capacity, competitiveness, and prosperity through investments spanning industry and technology, health and agriculture, science and education, and tourism and value-added production. With its robust industrial infrastructure, universities, entrepreneurial spirit, geothermal resources, expertise in the natural stone and food sectors, rich gastronomy, and strategic location, Afyonkarahisar is set to become one of the production and development hubs of the "Century of Türkiye."
MINISTER KACIR ATTENDED THE JOINT INAUGURATION CEREMONIES FOR THE İHSANİYE AND DÖĞER MUNICIPALITIES
Minister Kacır visited the Afyonkarahisar Municipality and the Governorship. Attending the joint inauguration ceremony of the İhsaniye Municipality, Minister Kacır stated in his speech that they had implemented 16 projects in İhsaniye worth 145 million liras. Noting that they had supported numerous investments—ranging from destination development and promotion to the arrangement of visitor centers and the illumination of historical sites—to unlock the tourism potential of the Phrygian Valley (which bears the traces of the Phrygian civilization) and specifically Ayazini, Kacır said, "Through these efforts, we have enhanced Ayazini's tourism appeal and visibility."
Subsequently, Minister Kacır attended the joint inauguration ceremony of the Döğer Municipality. In his speech, he announced that they would gift TÜBİTAK libraries to all schools in Döğer, stating, "We want our youth and children to establish a closer connection with science and technology. We will also provide all schools here with equipment, kits, and educational sets that can serve as technology workshops. Our expectation of you is this: let us raise our children in such a way that, God willing, new Aziz Sancars and new Selçuk Bayraktars emerge from among them. Let the engineers and scientists who will carry Türkiye toward a bright future grow up right here—on these lands, in Döğer. And let us cultivate the human capital and resources we need for the health and defense industry zone—spanning three and a half million square meters—that we will establish here, drawing that talent from Döğer itself."