By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South Africa and Finland have agreed to strengthen cooperation in water resources management, education, peace building and digital technologies.
President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed President Sauli Väinämö Niinistö of the Republic of Finland on a State Visit at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
Niinistö had planned to visit South Africa in April 20220 but the trip was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the first visit by a Finnish leader in more than 20 years.
Ramaphosa said he and his Finnish counterpart Niinistö are looking forward to engaging with businesses from both Finland and South Africa on how to improve trade and investment flows between the two countries.
“A great deal of work is already happening in this regard… It is our collective wish to see the bilateral relationship thrive and improve, especially with regards to reciprocal trade and investment, “Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa was speaking at a media briefing during the State Visit by His Excellency President Niinistö at the Union Buildings in Tshwane.
He announced that Gauteng recently entered into a cooperation agreement with the government of Finland in the fields of renewable energy and ICT infrastructure, and towards the creation of a business corridor.
The President said that the two countries have agreed to expand Finnish-South African cooperation in the fields of water resource management, early childhood development, as well as out-of-school youth and adult education.
He announced that South Africa has also agreed to a proposal to host the regional hub for a joint European Union (EU)-African Union (AU) programme that aims to develop a vibrant data economy in Africa.
“We have agreed to the proposal of EU member states that the EU-AU Data Flagship Programme’s regional hub should be in South Africa,” Ramaphosa said.
The programme seeks to facilitate investment in Africa’s data infrastructure and data technologies that can contribute to the digital transformation of the continent.
He said Finland is a valued friend of the South African people and a longstanding partner in development.
Bilateral relations between Finland and South Africa are deep rooted due to Finnish support for the liberation movements in Southern Africa.
Relations have grown since 1994 in all areas of bilateral engagement and Finnish investment is a major priority for both countries, with over R2 billion in new investments in the last three years.
Finland is an important partner to South Africa and, despite its small population and territory; it is amongst the most developed countries in the world and provides valuable trade, investment and development cooperation to South Africa.