SME Aisle project met Namibian high-level delegation
The Vice President of the Republic of Namibia Dr. Nangolo Mbumba visited Finland, Estonia and Latvia in September 9–15, 2019. He was accompanied by a delegation of 30 representatives of various ministries and enterprises. SME Aisle project team members had a chance to meet the Namibian delegation.
The project’s mission is to promote exports from Central Baltic countries to Southern Africa.
Namibian delegation visits Finland
The Namibian delegation arrived in Finland for a two-day visit. Vice President, Dr. Mbumba met President of Finland, Mr. Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister, Mr. Antti Rinne to discuss promoting cooperation between Finland and Namibia. The presidential reception took place at the Namibian Ambassador Bonny Haufiku’s residence in Helsinki. There Vice President Mbumba spotted a sea-captain from the crowd. He was Captain Heikki Koivisto from the SME Aisle project!
The delegation participated in a networking event organized by University of Turku and Turku Science Park. Also, the SME Aisle project members took part in the event providing interesting presentations given by local educational institutions, companies and projects.
Meetings and networking in Estonia and Latvia
In Estonia, the Namibian delegation was hosted by Prime Minister of Estonia, Mr. Jüri Ratas. Prime minister Ratas, Vice-President Mbumba and his delegation visited Taltech and Estonian Maritime Academy. The delegation met local businessmen such as Rasmus Hirtentreu from Rasman Group OÜ. Specialized in shipbuilding, Rasman Group OÜ plans to head for Southern African markets with the help of SME Aisle team.
After the program in Estonia, the Namibian delegation visited Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the Association of Mechanical Engineering and Metalworking Industries of Latvia (MASOC). The event was organized in Riga and hosted by President of Latvia Mr. Egils Levits.
The delegation got familiar with the SME Aisle project and was introduced to various promising business sectors in Latvia, including machinery, metal works and ICT. The delegation also learned more about companies participating in SME Aisle project and visited Peruza company which is specialized in fish processing solutions and automation. In addition, LCCI held an informative meeting with President of Latvia about current cooperation with Namibia and about the opportunities in developing exports to Namibia and other countries in Southern African region.
In the picture from the left: the Namibian Ambassador Bonny Haufiku, Dainis Racenis / MASOC, Vice-President Nangolo Mbumba, Janis Tilibs / LCCI and Tom Grinfelds / MASOC
SME Aisle success stories
The Namibian delegation visit offered a great opportunity for Finland, Estonia and Latvia to further deepen their cooperation with Southern African countries, especially in the commercial and business sectors. So far, the SME Aisle project success cases in Namibia and Zambia include four deals: one in both renewable energy and ICT sectors and two in automation. Also, three joint ventures have been created: two in renewable energy sector and one in maritime sector.
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