Kenyan Minister of Trade and Industry to visit Finland

Press Release 165/2004
16 August 2004


Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, the Kenyan Minister of Trade and Industry, is to visit Finland on 18–21 August at the invitation of Paula Lehtomäki, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development. Minister Lehtomäki paid a visit to Kenya in autumn 2003.

Aside from the ministers’ bilateral talks, Minister Kituyi will meet, among others, Paavo Lipponen, the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, as well as the chairs and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Agriculture and Forestry Committee. The programme also includes meetings with Finnish business leaders. In fact, development of trade and investment between Finland and Kenya is a central theme of the visit. The ministers will also discuss continuation of the WTO negotiation round and free trade arrangements between European Union and African countries.

Kenya is one of Finland’s eight main long-term recipient countries of bilateral development cooperation, with Finland providing support in Kenya for the sectors of forestry, energy and good governance. The goal is to achieve a minimum annual disbursement level of 10 million euros in the next few years.

Kenya, however, is now facing many challenges. Sweeping administrative reform, measures to weed out corruption and amendment of the Constitution are all underway. These reforms will be on the agenda of the bilateral discussions. Also to be discussed is the progress Kenya has made in implementing the goals set out in the UN Millennium Declaration and Poverty Alleviation Programme.

Additional information: Press Secretary Pekka Aalto, tel. +3589 1605 6292, mobile +358 40 765 3851

Ministry for Foreign Affairs Development Cooperation(Link to another website.)