Minister Väyrynen: Southern Africa offers Finnish companies a wide range of export and investment opportunities
Press release 72/2009
6 March, 2009
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen ended his two-day visit to Zambia in the evening of 5 March by meeting with President Rupiah Banda. Minister Väyrynen and President Banda had a constructive and many-sided discussion on relations between the two countries and topical international questions.
During his trip, Väyrynen had talks with several ministers, including the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Commerce, the Minister of Energy and the Minister of the Environment. The excellent relations of the two countries came up during these talks. Zambians are particularly pleased with the development cooperation between the countries. Zambia and Finland share converging views concerning socially, economically and ecologically sustainable development. During his meetings, Väyrynen encouraged Zambia to strengthen the preconditions for the private sector to create jobs and increase trade, and to improve the prerequisites for rural livelihoods and agricultural productivity.
“Its natural resources provide Zambia with excellent opportunities for development. The country should continue ongoing efforts to utilise natural resources in a sustainable way. In addition, Zambia has the possibility to develop further its utilisation of the country’s forest production potential. As I see it, Finland has a great deal to offer especially with regard to further development of the forest, energy and environment sectors,” Väyrynen stated.
One priority of the partnership between Finland and Zambia is support for the private sector by means of development cooperation supporting trade.
Zambia is one of Finland’s eight main long-term partner countries for development cooperation. Väyrynen’s travel itinerary also included a visit to Luapula, Northwest Zambia, where Finland is participating in a rural development programme.
Minister Väyrynen’s previous visit to Zambia took place 24 years ago, then as Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Väyrynen came to Zambia straight from South Africa, where he visited on 2–3 March and had talks with, among others, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Technology. A partnership agreement between the two countries was signed during the visit. Cooperation in South Africa is strongly concentrated on the information technology and innovation sector. “Cooperation has yielded results, and in South Africa development of this sector in particular has been promising,” Väyrynen stressed. South Africa is Finland’s most important trade partner on the African continent. The country’s investments in Finland have increased during the past two years.
Finland is launching regional energy and climate cooperation in Southern Africa. Cooperation strives to promote use of renewable energy and clean technology.
Minister Väyrynen was accompanied on his trip to South Africa and Zambia by a delegation of more than 20 business representatives. The companies reflected a broad array of Finnish expertise, for instance in the fields of energy, forest, environment and information technology. In this connection, in each country the minister attended an export promotion event organised together with local corporate and investment institutions.
“I believe that the talks now held will open up opportunities to expand trade in both Zambia and South Africa. I also hope that investments will increase. On the other hand, business alone is not enough; the countries should promote a favourable business environment including, among others, good and well-functioning governance. The talks I had indicate that the importance of good governance is understood in both countries,” Väyrynen stated.
Additional information: Director General Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Department for Development Policy, mobile tel. +358 40 830 4868, Riikka Manner, Press Attaché to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, mobile tel. +358 400 739 824