Minister of Employment Jari Lindström to Mozambique and Zambia

Minister of Employment Jari Lindström will make a Team Finland visit to Mozambique and Zambia on 3–8 September 2017. A business delegation assembled by Finpro and made up of, among others, forest and mining sector companies and cleantech sector companies will also participate in the visit, The aim of the visit is to promote the export of Finnish companies on emerging markets in Africa and to open doors for new partnerships.

Finnish companies can find opportunities for cooperation in the natural resources, biogas, minerals and forest sectors of Mozambique. Zambia is one of the world’s largest copper producers and has considerable forest resources. The mining industry, development of agriculture and forestry, sustainable energy solutions, and community planning and building, among others, offer market opportunities for Finnish companies.

“Finland is known as a trusted partner in both Mozambique and Zambia, thanks to a long history of development cooperation.  The developing private sector in Mozambique and Zambia allows for increased commercial and economic cooperation between both countries and Finland. I am delighted to be of assistance to companies,” says Minister of Employment Jari Lindström.

During the visit, Minister Lindström will meet the Mozambican and Zambian ministers of employment as well as other ministers. In addition, the Minister together with the companies will have meetings, among others, with representatives of the World Bank and organisations. In Zambia, Minister Lindström will open the Private Sector Inclusive Green Growth and Job Creation event. The event is the closing event of Zambia’s Green Jobs programme, of which Finland is a pivotal supporter. The aim of the event is to tell about the programme’s results and courses of action, and to offer networking opportunities for private, public-sector and civil society actors. The programme has promoted the competitiveness and sustainable business of micro enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises in the housing construction sector, and has created 3,300 jobs. In Zambia, a cooperation agreement under the partnership programme between the National Institute for Health and Welfare and the Zambian pension and social security authority will also be signed. Through cooperation, the social security system of Zambia will be developed, especially with regard to informal workers in rural areas.

In 2016, exports from Finland to Mozambique amounted to EUR 7.6 million while the value of imports was around EUR 8.7 million. Exports consisted mainly of raw materials, fuels and lubricants, chemical substances and products, and machinery and equipment. Imports from Mozambique consisted mainly of foods and raw materials.

Finland’s exports to Zambia are on the rise. The annual level of goods exports in the past few years has been EUR 25 million. Most of the goods are machine industry products for the mining industry. Measured by the volume of trade, in 2016 Zambia was Finland’s fifth most important trading partner in trade with the least-developed countries and other low-income countries. Electric generators and their components, earthmovers and excavators accounted for most of the growth in exports. Imports from Zambia to Finland are almost nonexistent.

Companies and actors taking part in the visit: Advion Group Ltd, Oy Arbonaut Ltd, BioGTS Ltd, Fimuskraft Oy, Finnfund, Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), NIRAS Finland Oy, Normet Group Oy, Save the Children, Outotec, Simosol Oy, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Vumos Oy and Wärtsilä.

The visit can be followed on social media at #JarppaMoZam

Inquiries:
Akseli Koskela, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 048 267, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment With respect to the visit to Mozambique, Team Leader Tuulikki Parviainen, tel. +358 40 132 1543, Ministry for Foreign Affairs; and Zambia, Team Leader Harri Sallinen, tel. +358 40 132 1354, Ministry for Foreign Affairs.