Maravi

Finnish envoy to promote trade partnerships with Zambia

Finnish envoy to promote trade partnerships with Zambia
By Chibaula Silwamba
Monday October 29, 2007 [03:00]

FINNISH Ambassador to Zambia Sinikka Antila has said she wants to promote trade partnerships between businesses in her country and Zambia. And Ambassador Antila said Finland will next year provide aid worth about 15 million euros to Zambia, of which 5 million euros will be direct budgetary support. In an interview in Lusaka, Ambassador Antila said she would encourage partnerships between Zambian and Finnish businesspersons.

She said her country would also focus on development cooperation.
“We work and support Zambia’s efforts in three sectors in environment and natural resources management especially forestry and the second sector is agriculture and the third, which is very important, is private sector development. In addition, we give general budgetary support and support good governance programmes,” she said.

Ambassador Antila said Finland’s assistance to Zambia was very important and her country wanted to see results in all the areas that it was helping Zambia.

“Our aid support to Zambia is also growing and as I said to President Mwanawasa, we must have economic growth,” Ambassador Antila said.

However, Ambassador Antila said it would be important for national management systems to ensure accountability of aid from Finland.

Labels: FINLAND, TRADE

posted by MrK @ 6:10 AM