June 22, 2023 – Today, “Station Adana,” one of the satellite centres of the community centre “Facebook Station”, operated by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and Habitat Association in Istanbul, was inaugurated with the opening of Meta. The opening ceremony, which also announced the second term of the Meta Boost program, was attended by Dr. Süleyman Elban, the Governor of Adana, Akif Kemal Akay, the Mayor of Seyhan, İsrafil Uçurum, the Chairman of Adana Chamber of Industry Council, Sezen Yeşil, the Director of Meta Turkey and Azerbaijan Public Policy, and Sezai Hazır, the Chairman of the Board of Habitat Association.
Station Adana will host a series of education programs, initiatives, and workshops focusing on Turkish society and economic digitisation and will provide a physical space where different social groups and communities can come together for idea exchange and collaboration. Station Adana, established to strengthen the regional economy and communities, supports the digital transformation of SMEs and entrepreneurs, aiming to enable local businesses to reach global markets.
Like all educational programs conducted in local stations, the content and activities of the new term of Meta Boost have been designed to prioritize SMEs in earthquake-affected regions. This year, the program’s primary goal is to focus on digital transformation to ensure the region’s employment continuity.
In his speech, Hasan Önal, the Head of E-Export, Digital Marketing, Behavioral Public Policies, and Next Generation Technologies Department of the Ministry of Trade, said, “In the new year of Meta Boost, we will provide training to approximately 1,000 SMEs with expert trainers through face-to-face training sessions. Within the scope of the mentorship programs that will follow the provided training, mentorship support will be provided to 50 SMEs in each of the earthquake-affected provinces of Hatay, K. Maraş, Adıyaman, and Malatya. SMEs that complete the mentorship process will be informed about the existing e-export support of our Ministry, and doors will be opened for them to expand abroad.”
Governor Dr. Süleyman Elban, in his opening speech, said, “As the governorship, we are working seriously with our sectors, chambers, and non-governmental organizations. We make efforts and will continue to make efforts to keep up with technology in every sector and field. Education programs like Meta Boost focus on digitalization, an inevitable aspect of technology, and whose second-year launch we realized today, are important for our region.”
Mayor Akif Kemal Akay of Seyhan said, “The current state of technology is crucial. We must update ourselves regularly. Station Adana will fulfil this function precisely. It will provide individuals, communities, and businesses with the skills, resources, and information they need to grow. It gives us great pride that this centre is within the boundaries of our district. I thank all stakeholders who contributed to this centre.”
Sezen Yeşil, the Director of Meta Turkey and Azerbaijan Public Policy, spoke about the community centre opened in Adana, saying, “Adana, which has an important place in Turkey’s trade and economy, and the other provinces in the earthquake region, are our focus this year to support the digital transformation of SMEs. We are also trying to achieve the same transformation in all our local stations. We are excited to have held the first face-to-face training within the scope of Meta Boost here today before the launch. We are delighted to support every SME in need in the region through our training programs and local stations.”
Israfil Uçurum, the Chairman of the Adana Chamber of Industry Council, talked about the community centre opened in Adana as follows: “Unfortunately, the percentage of the young population in Turkey who do not participate in employment and education is very high. As the Adana Chamber of Industry, we have initiatives that will provide employment for the young population. In this building, which we opened today, training will be provided on entrepreneurship, digitalization, export, and other topics. We are sure that the training provided within the scope of Meta Boost will also serve our common goal. I hope that young people will turn their curious and interested looks towards our efforts and that the region will develop in the field of next-generation entrepreneurship with Station Adana.”
Sezai Hazır, the Chairman of the Board of Habitat Association, stated that the association will continue to support entrepreneurship and Turkey’s digital transformation in collaboration with Meta in the future. He continued, “Entrepreneurs who can effectively use digital tools and manage risks by monitoring economic variables can gain a competitive advantage. It is crucial to provide education and consultancy services to our entrepreneurs in this field. Sometimes, during times of high adversity, such as earthquakes and disasters, we feel discouraged. That’s why we continue to open community centres like this, even if some negative aspects of such disasters persist. The centre we opened in Adana will also serve as a hub for the socio-economic recovery and development of the disaster-affected region.”
