Finland has returned the extracted stone fragments of the Ondonga people to the Namibian government.

The handover was done at State House, witnessed by President Hage Geingob and his counterpart, Sauli Niinisto of Finland.

The stone fragments were taken by a Finnish missionary, Martii Rautanen, more than 130 years ago from the Ondonga kingdom.

Rautanen was believed to be on a research mission when he came across the stone and took parts of it for experiments.

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.

Finland has welcomed Namibia's agreement with the European Union to develop sustainable raw materials and renewable hydrogen.

The Nordic country is the latest EU member state to express cooperation in the new industry.

Namibia has been the subject of heightened interest from developed countries such as Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and others since the government announced plans to position the country as a global leader in the supply of clean energy.

Namibia and Finland are carrying out a feasibility study aimed at establishing a center for civil aviation, which will focus on civil aviation-related training and education in Namibia and Africa.

Namibia and Finland signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a feasibility study in March 2020 and have now kicked off the project.