The President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, will undertake a state visit to Namibia from April 27 to 28, 2023.

In a media statement, State House said the visit is part of Finland's engagement with Africa and is part of its strategic goal of growing connections with Africa.

This includes extending its diplomatic presence, supporting the African Agenda, and boosting commercial links.

The statement further said that during the state visit, President Hage Geingob and President Niinistö will discuss the global political situation, global challenges, and bilateral relations between the two countries. 

‘’During the visit, Namibia will engage Finland within the framework of bilateral cooperation and the Africa Strategy of Finland. Finland is also a major international partner of Namibia on a variety of global problems, including improving multilateralism, international law, peace-building and mediation, gender and human rights advances, and renewable energy challenges," State House said.

President Niinistö will be accompanied by a business delegation with representatives from various business sectors in Finland.

State House says Finland is among Namibia’s top 20 trading partners. Namibia’s overall exports to the Finnish market totaled N$1.8 billion, down from the N$785.0 million recorded in 2021. On the other hand, Namibia’s imports from Finland increased to N$1.1 billion in 2022 from N$388.6 million recorded in 2021.

The last state visit from the Republic of Finland to the Republic of Namibia was made 12 years ago by former President Tarja Halonen in 2011.