By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK, April 24 — President Sauli Niinistö of the Republic of Finland is set to undertake a State Visit to the Republic of Namibia on Thursday, 27 April 2023, and Friday, 28 April 2023, in Windhoek, as announced in a press release. The visit is aimed at discussing the global political situation, global challenges, and bilateral relations between Namibia and Finland.
The history between Namibia and Finland goes back over 150 years, and the two countries are committed to strengthening their partnership and relations further. Finland has been a major international partner of Namibia in various global issues such as peacebuilding and mediation, gender and human rights advances, and renewable energy challenges.
During the State Visit, President Niinistö will engage with President Hage G. Geingob in Official Talks to discuss various aspects of their bilateral cooperation and the Africa Strategy of Finland. President Niinistö will also meet with the Namibian Prime Minister and the Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia to discuss the business potential between the two countries.
As part of Finland’s engagement with Africa and its strategic goal of growing connections with the continent, Finland has funded various programmes on sustainable water management within the context of SADC cooperation. Moreover, Finland is among Namibia’s top 20 trading partners. Namibia’s overall exports to the Finnish market totalled N$1.8 billion, down from the N$785.0 million recorded in 2021. On the other hand, Namibia’s imports from Finland increased to N$1.1 billion in 2022 from N$388.6 million recorded the previous year (2021).
Furthermore, the visit will be accompanied by a business delegation with representatives from various business sectors in Finland. President Niinistö will participate in a business seminar to be held at Hilton Hotel in Windhoek under the themes: Accelerating implementation of the 4th Industrial Revolution by leveraging partnerships and innovation to promote the Green Transition for job creation and eradication of poverty and Advancing Policy Reforms to enhance integrated solutions for sustainable and inclusive growth in Namibia.
The purpose of this seminar is to discuss how Namibia and Finland can work together to leverage smart, secure and sustainable solutions to promote a green transition and the 4th Industrial Revolution, as well as to enhance bilateral trade between Namibia and Finland. The specific outcomes envisaged are: strengthening business partnerships between the two countries to promote trade and investment in key sectors, identifying sectors that hold the most potential to create jobs and stimulate economic growth in Namibia, and generating export potential for Namibian-Finnish goods and services into Finland.
In addition to the official talks, President Niinistö will lay a wreath in honour of Namibia’s heroes and heroines at the Heroes’ Acre in Windhoek. The last State Visit from the Republic of Finland to the Republic of Namibia was made 12 years ago by former President Tarja Halonen in 2011.
In conclusion, the State Visit of President Sauli Niinistö of the Republic of Finland to the Republic of Namibia is a significant step towards strengthening the partnership and relations between the two countries. The visit is expected to bring about a renewed focus on enhancing bilateral trade and investment in key sectors and identifying solutions for sustainable and inclusive growth in Namibia. – Namibia Daily News
