Kenyan Minister for Cooperative Development and an accompanying delegation on a visit to Finland

Press release 307/2008
29 August, 2008

Joseph W. N. Nyagah, Minister for Cooperative Development of Kenya, and a Kenyan delegation representing cooperative enterprise is visiting Finland from 30 August to 3 September. The purpose of the trip is to learn about Finnish cooperatives and to sign an investment protection agreement between Finland and Kenya.

During his visit Minister Joseph W .N. Nyagah will meet with Minister of the Environment Paula Lehtomäki, State Secretary Mikko Alkio of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, civil servants of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, representatives of the Pellervo Confederation of Finnish Cooperatives, the Pellervo Institute and the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK), as well as Finnish experts who helped develop the Kenyan cooperative system from the 1960s to the 2000s.

The delegation’s trip includes a visit to the Riihimäki dairy plant of Valio Ltd and to the dairy museum and cooperative banking in Saukkola. A visit to a farm is also on the minister’s agenda.

Kenya is one of Finland’s eight long-term development cooperation partner countries. Finland is active in three development sectors in Kenya: law and good governance; forestry; and energy. In addition, Finland supports mainstreaming of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals within Kenya’s national development plans, and supports many cooperation projects of Finnish and Kenyan civil society organisations. Trade between Finland and Kenya so far has been slight.

Finland’s support to Kenya in 2007 totalled about 6 million euros. It is estimated that during the current year, support will reach the level of about 5 million euros, owing to the political crisis experienced in Kenya at the start of the year. Kenya has also received humanitarian assistance from Finland.

Additional information: Counsellor Vuokko Jutila, tel. +358 9 1605 6413 and Attaché, Administrative Affairs Maarit Nádor, tel. +358 9 1605 6380, Unit for Eastern and Western Africa