Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen to participate in the Nordic-African Business Summit in Oslo
Press release 190/2016
12 October 2016
Kai Mykkänen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, will participate in the Nordic African Business Summit in Oslo on 13 October. The event promotes business opportunities in Africa and offers Nordic and African enterprises a venue for networking.
This is the first time the Minister for International Development of Finland will participate in the event. Minister Mykkänen will open the event together with Børge Brende, the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The event is organised by the Norwegian African Business Association (NABA), and every year it brings together more than 500 Nordic and African decision-makers from the public and private sectors. The event covers topics such as the future prospects of the African economy, consumption opportunities and real-estate markets in growing cities and renewable energy. This year’s special theme is the challenges and opportunities created by rapid urbanisation in Africa.
“In African urbanisation, the method of implementation is crucial. Sustainable solutions, such as clean energy and energy efficiency, make it possible to reduce climate change and take steps towards reaching poverty goals. Finland has the competence Africa needs, as well as the ability to take on the partnerships needed to solve problems,” Minister Mykkänen states.
Finland’s development policy focuses on strengthening the economic development of developing countries, which is particularly important in Africa. During this government term, Finland is increasing the amount of investment funding and risk distribution capital by over EUR 500 million.
Additional information: Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, tel. +358 (0)40 352 0463; Pertti Anttinen, Senior Adviser, steering and coordination of development cooperation, Department for Africa and the Middle East, tel. +358 (0)295 351 595.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ e-mail addresses are in the form [email protected]