TZ, Finland nurture bonds

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation with Finland across key sectors, including the environment, education, trade, tourism, blue economy and technology, as part of commemorating 60 years of diplomatic relations.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan made the remarks yesterday at the State House in Dar es Salaam while briefing journalists on the three-day state visit of Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

“Tanzania deeply values this long-standing relationship founded on friendship, understanding and mutual respect, a legacy established by former Presidents Julius Nyerere and Martti Ahtisaari. We remain committed to further nurturing this bond,” President Samia said.

She noted that President Stubb’s visit not only reaffirms the historical closeness between the two nations but also marks a new chapter in their diplomatic and development partnership.

During their discussions, President Samia said they focused on strengthening existing collaborations and exploring new areas of cooperation.

“We discussed forestry, trade, investment, mining, tourism, women’s empowerment, ICT and technology transfer, areas where Finland has long supported Tanzania’s development,” she said, adding that both countries agreed to explore more opportunities in these sectors for mutual benefit.

President Samia underscored Finland’s continued support for Tanzania’s environmental conservation efforts and announced that President Stubb would launch the FORLAND programme, aimed at strengthening training institutions in the forestry sector.

She also invited Finland to partner with Tanzania in implementing its clean cooking energy strategy, which aims to have 80 per cent of Tanzanian households using clean energy by 2034, a critical step in protecting forests and the environment.

On value addition, she welcomed Finnish investment in Tanzania’s mineral sector, particularly in local processing for global export markets. President Samia also proposed deepening cooperation in the blue economy, energy and education and suggested establishing a parliamentary cooperation framework to address emerging bilateral and global issues.

She praised Finland’s interest in promoting trade and investment with Africa and encouraged Finnish investors to take advantage of Tanzania’s growing economy.

“While Finland has long been a development partner, we now welcome deeper economic collaboration as Tanzania transitions into a more robust and self sustaining economy,” she said.

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The president also noted an uptick in Finnish tourism, with 5,067 Finnish visitors recorded last year and 1,276 arriving in the first quarter of 2025 and called for more collaboration to boost the sector.

She further advocated for partnerships to enhance digital education, tech incubators, e-government services and cybersecurity development.

For his part, President Stubb said his visit marks the first by a Finnish Head of State to Tanzania in over two decades and is a celebration of six decades of strong diplomatic ties.

He described Tanzania as Finland’s oldest development partner and expressed Finland’s desire to evolve this relationship into a broader, more dynamic partnership.

Stubb, who previously visited Tanzania as Minister of Trade in 2013, is accompanied by a delegation of around ten Finnish companies, a reflection of rising economic interest in Tanzania.

“Finland believes in partnerships based on equality in trade, politics and development,” he said, adding that Tanzania holds a special place in Finnish history, largely due to the efforts of former President Martti Ahtisaari, who served as Ambassador to Tanzania in the 1970s.

“Ahtisaari worked closely with Tanzania on development and peacebuilding efforts, particularly in Namibia’s path to independence. He was also my mentor and he spoke fondly of his time here,” President Stubb said.

The Finnish leader said the visit would also focus on regional peace and security, climate change, gender equality and global governance reform, including calls for reforms to the United Nations to better reflect African voices.

He reaffirmed Finland’s commitment to upholding international law, promoting peace and advancing inclusive global development, expressing hope that both nations could one day serve together on the UN Security Council during the 2029–2030 term.

The visit is expected to deepen cooperation in diplomacy, trade, investment, education and sustainable development between the two countries.