Nordic Week was celebrated in Dar es Salaam
The Nordic countries were in the spotlight in Dar es Salaam last week, when the Embassies of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark organized the third annual Nordic Week. This year's themes were environment and climate change and the highlights included a climate conference, a business seminar and a joint reception.
To commence of the week, a high-level climate conference was co-opted with the Vice President's Office of Tanzania. The topics of discussion included the economic costs of the climate change and the environmental impacts of Tanzania’s industrialization. The speakers and panelists consisted of the Vice President Samia Hassan Suluhu, Tanzanian authorities, civil society and researchers as well as Nordic experts.
Photo: Hanna Widén
Later during the Nordic Week, a Nordic-Tanzanian business seminar was held at the local think tank, REPOA. The topic of discussion was the business opportunities and challenges in Tanzania including green growth. A multitude of Nordic companies and Tanzanian stakeholders attended to the event. In his opening remarks, the Ambassador of Finland, Pekka Hukka, emphasized on the need for improving the Tanzanian business environment, in particularly its predictability and regulatory framework, including the taxation reform. He called for a rapid implementation of the Government's reform agenda in co-operation with the private sector. In addition, the Ambassador highlighted the crucial role of women in private sector referring to the new OECD report on economic benefits of gender equality.
Photo: Elina Korhonen
The culmination of the Nordic Week was a joint reception at the Danish residence which gathered 200 attendees from the Tanzanian Government, civil society and the business and diplomatic communities. The centerpiece of the reception was the speech held by the Minister of Environment, January Makamba. In addition, the guests enjoyed Nordic music and canapés, including salmon, meatballs and cinnamon buns, and familiarized themselves with the stands broadcasting Nordic companies.
In addition of the climate conference, the business seminar and the reception, the Nordic Embassies hosted various cultural events in Dar es Salaam, including climate related film screening and music performances. The tradition of the Nordic Week will continue in Tanzania next year, when Finland will be the main organizer of the event.