Summary:

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen opened on 16 November an electricity supply modernisation project in Dar es Salaam, Tansania, which Finland has financed for almost 30 million euro and in which Finnish company Eltel Networks has also been involved. The wider purpose of Mr Mykkänen’s trip to Tansania and Kenya is to open up export opportunities for Finnish companies in environmental technology and to promote implementing cleaner energy technology and fighting climate change. The Sipilä government favours financing investments when it comes to development co-operation. Mr Mykkänen describes it as a win-win situation when investments in infrastructure help improve the standard of living in poor countries and operational preconditions for businesses and at the same time Finnish businesses are given the opportunity to sell their know-how. Mr Mykkänen says that Finland now has an important momentum in promoting investment-based development projects and that many other countries are ahead of Finland in this respect.

Media:  Iltalehti

Date: 18.11.2016

Journalist: Kreeta Karvala

Main source: Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen