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The government of Finland has opened a consulate in Accra to deepen its bilateral ties with Ghana, while advancing the interests of the Finish community and businesses in the country.
It has also appointed a Ghanaian lawyer and entrepreneur, Professor Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia, who is also a Professor of Practice at the Faculty of Business, Humanities and Social Science of the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom (UK) as the honourary consulate.
Since the early 1960s, the Embassy of Finland has been based in Abuja, providing consular services to applicants from Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Benin and The Gambia.
The consulate would not be issuing visas since that was being handled by the Danish Embassy in Accra.
The consulate will assist Finland to build bridges between the two countries in trade, education, sanitation, energy, digitalisation and other areas of cooperation, while advancing the interests of the Finnish community in Ghana.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the official opening of the consulate in Accra, the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Ghana, Benin and Liberia, Leena Pylvänäinen announced that Ghana is Finland’s number one trading partner in West Africa.
She said the two countries enjoyed excellent bilateral relations and saw a lot of potential to expand their cooperation further, especially in energy and digitalisation, circular economy, and education and vocational training.
Ms Pylvänäinen indicated that over the past few years, the political and economic cooperation has both broadened and deepened and has picked up speed.
‘Finland and Ghana share the same priorities in multilateral cooperation and commitment to the promotion of peace and security, democracy and human rights, and the strong support for the UN system and international law,” she said.
Ms Pylvänäinen stated that there had been several senior-level visits, memoranda and agreements signed and joint events organised at international fora – the latest just a few weeks ago in New York, and very important, bilateral political consultations were launched in Helsinki in October last year.
“With the establishment of the honourary consulate in Accra, she said her government would be looking forward to expanding its cooperation with Ghana, particularly in the area of energy and digitalisation, circular economy, and education and vocational training.
“The task of the embassy is to bring together Finnish and Ghanaian actors to forge new partnerships in these areas of joint interest,” she said.
The Honourary Consul, Prof. Kuenyehia, who serves on several boards, including that of the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA), explained that although not many, Finnish companies such as Nokia Kone Crains, Outotec, Agsense and ID Control operate in Ghana and continue to make substantial economic and social contributions to the economy.
On assuming office, he said he would engage more Finnish companies to invest in Ghana and to enter joint ventures with Ghanaian entrepreneurs.
“Given the significant strides made by Finnish companies in the sustainability sector, I am particularly keen to see more partnerships in the circular economy.
“My office will work with the key counterparts in both countries to create a thriving market for Ghanaian goods,” Prof. Kuenyehia, who is the founder of the Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Art and Settlor of the Kuenyehia Trust for Contemporary Art, said.
He added that his office would also work with both Finnish and Ghanaian universities to strengthen existing relationships and build new ones, while developing vibrant and innovative programmes to boost the respective educational systems of both countries.
