Turhan Mildon prides himself on being “the biggest builder in the DRC”. On the evening of the inauguration of the Kinshasa Financial Centre, in the auditorium of the new Convention Centre, he declared: “We have made the Democratic Republic of Congo the centre of our investments in Africa”. The financial centre, which stands opposite the Palais de Justice in the Gombe district, was inaugurated with great fanfare in the presence of Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, surrounded by his ministers and a host of international partners. But who is Turhan Mildon?
Heir to a family multinational
Like his grandfather and father before him, Turhan Mildon is a jack-of-all-trades. While Miller Holding, the company founded in 1967 by the patriarch, Muhsin Turhan Mildon (who died in 2011), has continued to prosper and diversify ever since, it was not until 2011 that it entered the African continent. It was an obvious move, however, for the 26-year-old executive, who took over the management of the conglomerate chaired by his father, Mert, in 2016.
Claiming his “third generation” status, Turhan Mildon, described as a “Turkish golden boy with slicked-back hair and an impeccably tailored suit”, believes it is his duty to make the conglomerate a part of globalisation in general and Africa in particular. “The world is not sufficiently aware of Africa’s cultural, social, natural and economic wealth”, he writes in the catalogue produced to mark the consortium’s fiftieth anniversary in 2017. Although he still communicates in English or with the help of interpreters, the young boss, described as “humble and personable” by those he talks to, is working hard to learn French.
Projects made in DRC
Turhan Mildon has won the confidence of the authorities since the successful construction of the Kinshasa Financial Centre. With its 165,000 m2 surface area, its three ministerial buildings, its future convention centre with a capacity of 3,000 people, its Marriott project (5 stars with 240 rooms) and its commercial zones, the financial centre inaugurated on 19 December 2023 by Félix Tshisekedi is a fine calling card for the entrepreneur, less than two years after the registration of his subsidiary in the country and after only eighteen months of construction work.
What’s more,” says the CEO with pride, “the project was a legal disaster, with the contract being the “very first EPC [design, engineering and construction] in the DRC”. The operation of all the site’s infrastructure should then enable the company to repay its investment, estimated at over 300 million dollars.
The renovation of Kinshasa-N’Djili international airport is one of its major projects. Turhan Mildon, who was entrusted with the project in May 2023, had hoped to be able to start work as early as September, but he only got the go-ahead at the end of March.
“It is possible not only to dream big for our country, but also, and above all, to make it more beautiful and bigger through the strength of our spirit and through our collective investment at all levels, as shown by this building, which was completed in just a few months”, declared Félix Tshisekedi on 19 December at the official inauguration ceremony for the Kinshasa Financial Centre.
A football fan
In Kinshasa, Turhan Mildon is no longer hiding one of his greatest ambitions. He wants to make AS Vita “the richest club in Africa”, as he often says to the press. The construction of a 50,000-seat stadium and the creation of a training centre are among his plans for the club with 30 million fans. To match words with deeds, he has already launched Vita Club’s mercato with the arrival of two new players.
An avid football fan and already a shareholder in Turkish club Trabzonspor, one of the four main teams in Turkey’s Süper Lig, Turhan Mildon signed a partnership with AS Vita Club in January via his subsidiary Milsport, and officially became the club’s ‘very’ majority shareholder on 1 July.
Without waiting for this deadline, the businessman has already helped to improve the club’s financial situation, with salaries now paid at the end of each month and increased bonuses for players, who now travel by private plane.
What about Milvest?
Milvest is a subsidiary of the Turkish holding company Miller. They are behind major construction projects in Senegal before moving to the DRC. Since the Diamniadio MIN, Miller Holding has launched projects in Liberia, Guinea and Kenya, but it is in the DRC that the company is most present on the continent.
From the reconstruction of the new N’Djili airport to the refurbishment of the Kinshasa International Fair (FIKIN), not forgetting the construction of the ARENA and the cable car that should ease congestion in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (with a daily capacity of 5,000 passengers), Milvest is a force to be reckoned with.
Source: Jeune Afrique, Forbes Afrique and Africanews
