Finnish Ambassador pays courtesy call to NACCIMA President
Ambassador Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury paid a courtesy call to the recently appointed National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) Mrs. Iyalode Alaba Lawson in Lagos on 30 June 2017.
The Ambassador congratulated Mrs. Alaba Lawson on her appointment, as well as informing her about Finland's priorities and activities in Nigeria, which are focused on promoting trade and economic relations between the two countries.
The Ambassador made reference to the successful visit last year of Deputy Minister Matti Anttonen with business delegation to Abuja and Lagos, and the recent visit of Minister Anne Berner to Nigeria, to attend the 16th Nordic and African Foreign Ministers' Meeting where she had spoken about promoting sustainable development through trade and investment. Upcoming plans and delegations were also discussed, as well as Finnish funding and other instruments for promoting business relations between Finland and Nigeria.
The Ambassador informed the NACCIMA President about the activities of Finland's 100th Anniversary year in Nigeria, including the creative coding workshops for local students, organized earlier in the year during the 'CodeBus Africa' project, as well as its follow-up activities. The Ambassador mentioned that the project, which was sponsored by Nokia, and covered ten African countries in total, paid special attention to encouraging girls into ICT and technology.
The discussion also touched upon the importance of education, including early childhood as well as vocational education, and the school system in Finland.