Waziri Mkuu wa Finland Jyrki Katainen, Ziarani Tanzania

Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and Minister for International Development Pekka Haavisto will travel to Ethiopia and Tanzania on 26–31 January. The purpose of their visit is to strengthen bilateral relations and trade and development links, as well as promoting export and internationalisation opportunities for Finnish companies in Ethiopia and Tanzania. In Tanzania, the ministers will also conduct negotiations on bilateral development cooperation. The trip to Tanzania will include a short visit to Zanzibar.

During this Team Finland trip for the promotion of exports and internationalisation, the Prime Minister and the Minister for International Development will be accompanied by a business delegation, assembled by Finpro, with representatives from 27 Finnish companies. The companies involved operate internationally in the fields of energy, infrastructure construction, logistics, the information society, extractive industry, education, health, and agriculture and forestry.

During their trip, Prime Minister Katainen and Minister Haavisto will meet top-level political leaders and cabinet members from Ethiopia and Tanzania, as well as executives from major local companies. The programme will also include a meeting with the leadership of the African Union. In Ethiopia, the ministers will meet the country’s President Mulatu Teshome; its Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who has studied in Finland; the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus; and other members of the cabinet.

In Tanzania, they will meet the President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete, the President of Zanzibar Ali Mohamed Shein, the Prime Minister of Tanzania Mizengo Pinda and several other cabinet members.
As two of the world’s fastest growing economies, Ethiopia and Tanzania present Finnish companies with the prospect of a major expanding market area in developing African markets. Both countries are long-term partners of Finland’s in development cooperation. In Ethiopia, areas of cooperation include the education, land administration and water sectors.

In Tanzania, development cooperation is focused on promoting good governance and access to basic services, and on the enhancement of sustainable exploitation of natural resources and employment-creating growth within the forestry, agricultural, information society and energy sectors.

Finland’s trade relations with Ethiopia and Tanzania are still in their embryonic stages. However, interest is clearly growing in expanding trade. The long-term cooperation between these countries also provides a solid foundation for the diversification of commercial relationships.

Inquiries: Antti Vänskä, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister (International Affairs), tel. +358 40 513 1458; Milma Kettunen, Press Attaché for the Minister for International Development, tel. +358 40 522 9869; Helena Airaksinen, Head of Unit for East and West Africa, tel. +358 295 351 583; and Kari Mokko, Director of Government Communications, tel. +358 40 751 3281

Companies represented in the business delegations: Arbonaut Ltd; Association of ProAgria Centres; Cargotec Corporation, Kalmar; Eltel Networks Corporation; Empower Oy; Ensto Finland Oy; Fifth Element Oy; Finnish Forest Research Institute Metla; Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation Ltd. (Finnfund); Finnpartnership (c/o Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation Finnfund); FM-International Oy FINNMAP; Geological Survey of Finland; Indufor Oy; JPT-Industria Oy; Kuopio International Health Ltd / Dental Mammoth Oy; Kuopio International Health Ltd / Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences; Miltton Group Oy; Mint of Finland; Nokia Corporation; Niras Finland Oy; Ramboll Finland Oy; Rovio Entertainment Oy; Suomen Viljava Oy; Sukevan Kivi Oy; Tekla Oy; Terrasolid Ltd and UpCode Ltd.