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2.2.2026 | Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto will visit the United Arab Emirates, Zambia and South Africa from 2 to 10 February 2026. The purpose of the visit is to promote exports of Finnish companies and to strengthen Finland’s role in the mineral value chains.

27.11.2025 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo visited South Africa on 26–27 November. In Pretoria, Prime Minister Orpo met for discussions with the Deputy President of South Africa, Paul Mashatile. This was the first-ever visit by a Finnish prime minister to Pretoria, the administrative capital of the country. The main purpose of the visit was to promote commercial and economic relations between Finland and South Africa, and the Prime Minister had several meetings related to export promotion.

4.5.2026 | Additional capital totalling EUR 200 million will enable the gradual ramp-up of the project. Keliber is the first lithium project in Europe with integrated production from mine to refinery.

20.11.2025 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will attend the European Union–African Union Summit in Angola on 24–25 November. From there, Prime Minister Orpo will continue on to South Africa, where he will take part in a trade mission promoting bilateral relations between Finland and South Africa on 26–27 November.

9.6.2026 | Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen held a speech at the meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Social Inclusion and Human Dignity in Kouvola on 9 June 2026.

14.8.2025 | At its session on Thursday 14 August, the Government appointed Timo Olkkonen as the new Deputy Director General of the Department for Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

13.3.2026 | At the presidential session on Friday 13 March, the President of the Republic appointed the following persons to serve as heads of missions, starting from 1 September 2026: Ann-Christine Krank, Algiers; Veikko Kiljunen, Buenos Aires; Salla Sammalkivi, Santiago de Chile; and Markku Lampinen, Tunis.

10.3.2026 | The 2026 call for applications for the Joint Innovation Facility (JIF) funding is now open. JIF is designed to strengthen digital, climate-positive innovation activity. The funding will support the expansion of market-ready, digitally enabled innovations through cross-border partnerships.

26.1.2024 | South Africa has approved the import of unheated frozen pork from Finland to its market.

26.9.2025 | The Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne will attend the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, from 29 September to 1 October 2025. In 2025, the G20 Presidency is assumed by South Africa. 

24.11.2025 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo is of the view that the negotiations between Ukraine and the United States in Geneva have moved the Ukraine peace plan in the right direction. On Monday 24 November, Prime Minister Orpo attended an informal meeting of EU leaders on the status of the peace negotiations.

18.1.2023 | South Africa has approved the import of Finnish heated pork products to its market. Export to South Africa can be started immediately.

25.4.2023 | During the state visit of the President of the Republic of Finland to the Republic of South Africa, a Letter of Intent on Co-Operation in Peace Mediation was signed on 25 April between the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa.

14.11.2022 | Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Finland Mr Ville Skinnari will lead a trade mission to South Africa and Namibia from 14 to 18 November. The programme of the visit includes meetings with representatives of South African and Namibian governments, central banks and businesses.

23.5.2025 | At the presidential session on 23 May, the President of the Republic appointed the following persons to serve as heads of missions: Petri Puhakka, Kathmandu; Kirsikka Lehto-Asikainen, Paris; Eija Rotinen, Bogota; Antti Putkonen, Baghdad; Ville Cantell, Reykjavik; Lasse Keisalo, Lima; Katja Ahlfors, Dakar; Teemu Turunen, London; and Stefan Lindström, Houston. In addition, the President of the Repub...

1.1.2022 | In his blog post, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto commemorates the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

21.1.2025 | Veera Virmasalo, (MA), has been appointed to the post of Senior Specialist in Higher Education and Science Policy at the Embassy of Finland in Pretoria from 14 January 2025 to 31 July 2027. Team Finland Knowledge experts are responsible for monitoring higher education and science policy, promoting cooperation opportunities and making Finnish higher education institutions better known in their designated country.

8.12.2022 | Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson will travel to South Africa to attend an international conference in Pretoria on 7–8 February 2023. After that, the Minister will visit Namibia.

26.11.2021 | Based on the recommendations of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs recommends avoiding all travel to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mosambik and Malawi

26.2.2025 | The ministers met in Helsinki on 26 February. They discussed the bilateral relations between Finland and Türkiye and EU–Türkiye trade and economic relations.