Foreign Minister Valtonen to take part in a visit of Nordic ministers to Nigeria and Ghana

The aim of the visit is to strengthen political and commercial relations with key Western African countries.

During the visit to Nigeria and Ghana on 12–14 August, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will, together with representatives of the other Nordic countries, meet Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Maitama Tuggar as well as Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo and Minister for Foreign Affairs Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. The delegation will also meet with CSOs and representatives of Nordic companies in both countries. The topics of the meetings will be global security and multilateral cooperation, trade and investments, climate change and the green transition, and regional security issues and development in Western Africa.

“African countries play a significant role in international politics, and their commercial and economic significance has further increased. By cooperating with countries such as Nigeria and Ghana, we can make significant progress in the fight against global security challenges and climate change, for example. Furthermore, I see potential, one that will benefit all parties, in deepening the commercial relations between our countries. For example, Finnish companies can provide a wide range of services, products and innovations that could be useful in promoting digitalisation and the green transition in these countries,” Minister Valtonen says.

All Nordic countries wish to deepen their cooperation with African partners. In addition to the joint Nordic visit, cooperation is promoted within the framework of the annual Nordic–African Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, the most recent of which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark on 2 May 2024.