Finland Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury, has advocated for a right environment for sustainable development in the country.
Chowdhury who spoke to reporters in Abuja, said she has been able to do a lot in the last four years to improve the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
She said: “What we need to have is a vibrant economy and private sector and thriving businesses, and for that, you need to have the right kind of environment.”
The envoy said funding instruments were available for promoting business partnership between the two countries.
She expressed her country’s commitment to promote trade relations with Nigeria.
Though she was not specific about the trade volume between the two countries, she however said things were looking up between both countries.
“I came here wanting to make Nigeria-Finland relationship as active as possible. My main focus was trade promotion, clearly I can see everything I do here in relation to that.
“I wanted to promote trade relation and more visibility for Finland in Nigeria and for Nigeria to know more about Finland and for Finland to know more about Nigeria.
“There is activity and interest in many sectors and some companies are very much present here but there is much more to be done.
“This is what I try to do all the time also in the way I educate Finnish companies about Nigeria and we try to facilitate their businesses here,” she said.
The envoy said Finnish activities in Nigeria in business, trade and investment and others could take place in many different sectors.
Chowdhury said there were various Finnish companies in Nigeria, stressing that notably among them were Nokia and Wartsila.
She said Wartsila was a power company in many countries in Africa and also in Nigeria.
“It has different kind of power solutions, engines, also for shipping and for industrial use and more recently it has been very interested in solar power,” she said.
Chowdhury said Kone was another Finnish company doing business in Nigeria but operating through a representative.
“They produce lifts and escalator and cranes and also conveyor belts in airports; they are big global players in this area and they are represented in Nigeria by a company called Crystalrail,” she said.