The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs traces the relationship between Finland and Ethiopia to the 1950s when Finnish missionaries first came to Ethiopia. In the late 50s, the duo also signed agreements to establish diplomatic relations.
Fast forward, 60 plus years, the relations are as lively as they have ever been. The long term partnership has been evident in progresses registered in the country, both in the economic development as well as in the education and water sector.
Finland, through its development cooperation for the years 2021–2024, has channeled funds totaling EUR 75.2 million for bilateral development cooperation mainly to supporting rural economic development and improving water services as well as developing the quality of inclusive basic education. The resources are also said to be directed towards improving the operational capacity of private sector operators.
Cognizant of the significant relations between the two countries, Capital got in touch with Ambassador Outi Holopainen, Finland’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union for in depth insights on the cooperation. Excerpts;
Capital: What are the major priority areas in the Finland-Ethiopia relations?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: Our bilateral relationships stem from different sectors and at different levels. For instance, we enjoy great political relations which entail our political engagement with Ethiopia at different levels. A little before I started my term here in November 2019, there was an official visit of the President of Finland. That of course is a highlight of the highest possible level of interaction between the two countries.
Our other priority agenda includes economic relations. That has however been slightly hampered in the last three years primarily by COVID, but we are on pace to strengthen our economic ties even further to benefit both countries.
Last but certainly not least, is on the development cooperation sphere. For us, Ethiopia is one of the biggest partners in development cooperation in the whole world and our bilateral programme in Ethiopia is the largest that we have in Africa.
Capital: Since 2018, there have been a lot of political changes and reforms in Ethiopia. How would you best describe the political relations between the two countries, before 2018 and now?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: Our countries have had long standing successful relations for more than half a century. Of course, each phase is different from the other in terms of political relation but nonetheless we have enjoyed fluid relations.
Just like weather, sometimes it is rainy, sometimes it is cloudy and sometimes it is sunny. For us, no matter the political weather, we want to keep up our relationship, and diplomatic engagement.
We see Ethiopia as a partner in addressing the global issues. When we talk about climate change or pandemics, or any other global problems, we want to work together to realize best results for the greater good.
Capital: What are your thoughts on the impact of the war in the northern part of Ethiopia in view of the bilateral relations of the two countries?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: We were following with great concern the developments and it is an unhappy situation for everybody when violence breaks out causing so much damage. Of course we were not in any way involved in the in the conflict, but we were following with concern specially from the point of view of the civilians that were in the midst of the conflict and in trying to find ways to encourage the parties towards a peaceful solution.
Capital: Over the last three years that you have served in this diplomatic mission as ambassador, what are the areas that the Embassy has worked on with regards to promoting economic cooperation between the two countries?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: The last three years of course have had its ups and downs. The global pandemic for the last couple of years had created some practical hindrances for people in form of business or other fields of life as well. Additional to that was the conflict in the Northern part of the country which gained a lot of visibility worldwide with international media creating some kind of negative picture.
To this end, we have been in contact with Finnish companies, giving factual information on the areas affected by the conflict and giving briefs of peaceful and safe areas of doing business. As you well know, apart from the Northern region, the other regions were peaceful and their business environments had huge potential for a thriving business, and that is what we explained to all our prospect Finnish investors.
For our established Finnish businesses here which were facing difficulties in their business environments, we served as a conduit of information exchange whereby we relayed the challenges to the Ethiopian government in order to come up with suitable tailored solutions.
So the Embassy primarily served as a mediator, with our main objective being to deepen and broaden our economic ties.
Capital: How many Finnish companies would you say are here? How much is the trade balance between the two countries?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: It is less than 20. There are a few big ones, there are some smaller ones and then we have some companies that are just coming for some projects within a stipulated timeline. With these interactions, we have clearly seen that there is huge business potential to be done in this country.
Regarding trade balance, it’s difficult to say the exact numbers because there is a lot of change.
Capital: Finland is one of the global leaders in terms of delivering the best education. In this regard, how are you working to support Ethiopia’s education sector?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: This is something that is at the core of our activities across our global relations. We have seen firsthand how a good inclusive education system can transform a country, as Finland went from a very poor, rural, agrarian country to a very successful and prosperous nation.
That’s why we are happy to share this example and to also promote inclusive quality education in other countries as well. Moreover, education is one of the three main pillars of our development cooperation with Ethiopia.
At the policy level, we promote quality education by not only bringing the kids to school, but also in making sure that they really have the possibility to excel. We also put the needs first and uphold the rights of children with disabilities in education. To this end, Finland has been facilitating arrangements where children with disabilities can go to school with necessary equipment and facilities.
Furthermore, many Ethiopian teachers have been educated in Finland for this inclusive education. In addition to working at the policy level with regards to inclusive education, we are also very active in the WASH sector such as providing WASH services to the schools, so that it would be also more convenient for girls to participate in school.
The other dimension is also delivering education access in emergency settings such as IDP camps and IDP sites. The Finland embassy to this end has been working with UNICEF in promoting education in situations where families have left their homes and their communities and are forced to stay for a longer time at the IDP sites. In such situations, children often find themselves most affected but that should not mean they should lack quality education and at the moment we are working to make sure that education is accessible to those in need in Tigray region and some parts of Amhara.
Capital: Finland is one of the global leaders when it comes to technology and digitalization. Since Ethiopia is in its way to digitalization, how is Finland working with the country on this development goal?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: Well there is a very practical example on ground at the moment. When the Telecom sector was opened up, with Safaricom Consortium winning the first license; the Finnish technology company, Nokia Networks Company, was awarded a contract to build part of the network for Safaricom.
So to this regard, we are actively involved on the ground by building quality networks to promote the digitalization or the possibilities for digitalization in the society.
Capital: Have you had any project in gender equality?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: Gender equality is mainstreamed in everything that we do, be it the WASH sector or education or rural livelihoods. Gender equality is always in our agenda and there are many things that we do to uphold this.
One example, where we think that we have been very successful recently on the basis of the Finnish initiative, is that we launched a system of digital land right registration, so that people who live in rural areas and those who don’t own the land, but have the right to use the land get to do so. So there is now a system where the land rights are registered in a digital system. And that was created under a Finnish project. This project which is also supported by the World Bank and some other big donors has now developed a whole system which can cover the likes of the rural areas in all parts of the country. The special focus is on those women who have land under their disposal and who are cultivating land and when they land right is registered, they will have more security of the land. As a result, they can then also use the land and the right as collateral or can even rent it or give inheritance to their children.
We also financially support many women’s rights organizations. There are many Finnish organizations that come here and cooperate with Ethiopian counterparts. I always say that gender equality is a real integral part of what we do here at our diplomatic mission, in all of our projects.
Capital: Does the Finnish government provide humanitarian aid in Ethiopia?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: Yes, we do. We achieve this partly through UN organizations and UN agencies like the World Food Programme as well as through many Finnish NGOs that are active both on humanitarian aid and development, and issues such as gender and equality.
Capital: Your embassy is actively involved in WASH programmes in the country. Can you shed light on the recent progresses and success made thus far?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: I am happy to talk about that because that is something that has been ongoing already for the past 20 or 30 years. The foundational idea is building sustainable water points in the rural areas so that rural communities can have access to fresh water near their houses, so that the children and women don’t need to go for such a long way every morning to fetch fresh water.
The ownership of the project is within the community. So when the water point is built, it is actually the community that takes responsibility for that. We fund these projects in cooperation with the local authorities who are involved in creating the conditions and giving the materials to building the water points.
However, the community bears the responsibility and ownership and the maintenance that comes after. This has led to the youth to become innovative and start-up companies where they supply let’s say like spare parts to the module pumps and that kind of value chain which makes it also sustainable. And these projects are in different regions and different Woredas. Through these projects so far 4.5 million Ethiopians have gotten access to fresh water.
Capital: Do you have any project on agriculture?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: Yes, we focus on use sustainability. This is about giving the farmers the opportunity to use better seeds and by also helping them to make business for themselves. When doing these all project weather rural, the agricultural livelihoods, education or the WASH projects special focus is also on the rights of people with disabilities. So it is an inclusive project overall.
Capital: One of the missions of embassies is to promote cultural ties between the two countries. What have you done and or are doing to this end?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: Well, I’m happy to say that these cultural links exist even without the efforts of the embassy. For example, the Ethiopian Jazz is very well received in Finland. My country has a very lively Jazz culture. For a long time these Jazz communities from both countries have known each other very well.
But then of course, I think for many Ethiopians, Finland is just something that they don’t know anything about. So we try to promote our cultures through small events and wherever we go, we try to share the cultures of Nation and fact about our country, and sometimes we do so together with other European Union member states. We also have an annual film festival. But I think that many things happen without the efforts of the embassy.
Capital: As an ongoing ambassador, what are some of the things that have fascinated you, for the last three years?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: First, I must say that it has been hugely interesting and the diversity in this country is just fascinating. And unfortunately due to the security reasons I have not been able to cover each and every part of the country. But I have been able to do some travelling and especially visit our projects in different parts of the country. It is so overwhelming to see the nature and the friendly people in different parts of the country. That is something that really, really touches me and I have really learned a lot about this country.
I think it is difficult to say one individual topic that would be above other things during the three years, but I would generally say that the engagement with people.
Capital: How would you describe Finland’s relation with the African Union?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: In our mission here, we have our bilateral relationship with Ethiopia and also are accredited to the African Union.
I would mention one sector that really interests us is the African Free Trade Area. In Europe we have profited a lot from the free trade area and the economic integration of the continent. It has really made a difference for us. So that’s why we always say nice words about economic integration to our African partners because we think there’s huge potential for all African countries. Of course it takes some time to create the systems and to make everything work on a practical level like customs and everything. But there’s a huge opportunity for Africa. So, economic integration is one aspect that we support the AU with. I’m sure it also attracts more and more foreign investors who can also then profit from the huge African market.
With the AU, we have long standing relations, and we look forward to even more drawn and deep relationships. The Finland government is now a new government but the previous government also adopted the Africa strategy and it is exactly about diversifying our relationship. That is both economic development cooperation and of course people to people relationships.
Capital: Is there anything you’d like to add?
Amb. Outi Holopainen: I think mainly what we are doing in this country together with Ethiopia’s authorities are really important elements for Finland. And we see the value in our own country and that’s why we are happy to promote it also elsewhere because we think that might give both our countries’ foundation for the future as well. May our relations continue to flourish!
