With its political influence, economic scale, and regional leadership, Nigeria stands out as a strategic partner for Finland’s growing engagement across Africa. According to Sanna Selin, Finland’s Ambassador to Nigeria, closer cooperation between the two countries is essential not only to boost bilateral trade but also to promote regional stability and drive economic growth. Selin is Finland’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Liberia, and ECOWAS and brings over two decades of experience in diplomacy, international trade, and multilateral affairs. She assumed her current post in September 2024 after serving as Director of the Market Access Unit at Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs. A specialist in EU trade and foreign policy, Selin represented Finland in the EU’s Trade Policy Committee and served as RELEX Counsellor in Brussels. She holds a master’s in geography, speaks five languages, and recently completed peace and security studies at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. In this exclusive interview with Ojochenemi Onje, BusinessDay’s foreign affairs correspondent, Selin highlights Finland’s priority sectors in Nigeria, including ICT, renewable energy, health and economy, while emphasising stronger ties to unlock shared prosperity…Excerpts
According to reports, Finland exported over $46.9 million worth of goods to Nigeria in 2023, while Nigeria exported just under $1 million to Finland in the same period. What’s your assessment of the current trade relations between both countries?
The figures are very modest, though they are not telling the whole truth. Of course, one of my main tasks here is to try to increase trade by attracting more Finnish companies to get familiar with the Nigerian market. And a lot of trade is also going on through third countries, so if you just look at the statistics and information, for example in the customs data, it’s not always telling the whole truth. We have some big global companies that are bringing things from other countries through other third countries, so we should not only look at the numbers here.
What figures would you then estimate as the trade volume between Nigeria and Finland?
I wouldn’t stick with the exact figures. The Finnish imports to Nigeria are still bigger than the exports from Nigeria to Finland, though, and definitely we have a lot of things to do between our two countries.
Nigeria’s exports to Finland have grown at an annualised rate of over 23% in the past five years. What factors do you think have contributed to this positive trend?
I think one of the main factors has been the increased interaction between our two countries. We have had recently several high-level visits, both from Nigeria to Finland at the federal ministerial level and at the state level. And we also have had, not too many yet, but for example, last August, a historical Nordic foreign minister’s visit to Nigeria. And I think that that kind of increased interaction between our countries has also introduced Nigeria better to the Finnish audience, and that might be one of the reasons why the trade has increased. Of course, we should also not forget that during COVID, a lot of interactions were very, very minimal. So the trade figures have been improving ever since we managed to get rid of the pandemic.
Given that Nigeria exports nitrogenous fertilisers, rubber, and oily seeds to Finland, are there discussions underway to expand this product range or add value locally before export?
I think that all of these products that you mentioned are something interesting for Finland as well. Of course, Finland is on the way to diversifying our energy sources. Nowadays, a lot of our energy pool comes from renewable energy sources. We are not using that much oil anymore like we used to. Fertilisers, of course, are very important for all the countries that are doing any agricultural activities. And definitely that would also be one of the things that we should look into. But for other sectors also, we should not exclude anything. Also, we can’t only be talking about the products and trade in goods; we should also see trade in services. I think that Nigeria has a lot of potential in the trade of services that could be exported from here.
What sectors in Nigeria do you believe offer the greatest potential for Finnish investment or partnerships going forward?
There is a lot of potential in different sectors. Finland is, of course, a high-tech country, and we can offer a lot of interesting solutions for Nigeria in different fields. We have chosen four priorities for this year in Nigeria for our trade promotion work. They are ICT and digitalisation, energy and power, circular economy and health. We are actively looking into these four sectors, trying to find partnerships and expanding the cooperation that we are already doing. But, of course, we are not excluding any other sector if there is an interest. And then, in the end, it’s the companies themselves that decide where they want to trade, and we can only assist from the government side.
What has been the experience of Finnish companies currently operating in Nigeria, in terms of ease of doing business, security, and infrastructure?
We have about 25 Finnish companies that are operating here in Nigeria. Quite a few of them are operating through a local partner or are doing trade directly from Finland. But I could mention maybe two big ones that have already established their functions in Nigeria for decades. They are quite well-known global leaders in their own field. First is Nokia, and they have been based in Lagos for quite a long time and also creating jobs there. Everybody knows Nokia from the mobile phones, but, of course, Nokia nowadays is much more than just the mobile phones. They are actually not even producing mobile phones anymore. They are more for the 5G technologies, connectivity, and artificial intelligence. So there are quite some interesting initiatives at the moment. It is too early to say anything, but there has been a lot of interest from the Nigerian side also to expand the cooperation. Another Finnish company that is well established here is Wärtsilä. They are into energy transition, helping Nigeria mainly for the off-grid solutions and energy alternatives that are very much needed in this country as well.
In terms of their experience, Nigeria is a big country with a lot of potential and opportunities but also, at the same time, a lot of challenges. What we are telling our companies who are coming or interested in coming to the Nigerian market is that one of the most important things is, of course, to find a good local partner that they can cooperate with. This is because by themselves, especially for the smaller companies, it’s quite a difficult environment to navigate, especially in the beginning before you start knowing the market and how to operate here. And then, of course, the geographical distance. And because Finnish companies are not that well-known in the Nigerian market yet, they have become more and more interested because of the huge potential that Nigeria can offer. I think that we need increased interaction and also familiarising ourselves with our respective countries; then natural cooperation will follow and also investments in the end. But yes, I mean, it’s the two big companies who have, of course, been operating all over the world, and they are doing well here.
How is the Finnish government supporting trade or investment missions to Nigeria, especially among small and medium-scale enterprises?
We have in Finland something called the Team Finland Trade Promotion Network, which is all the public organisations, including ministries and other agencies, that are helping the Finnish companies to get more international visibility and impact. It’s a full scale of services when they start the business in Finland and when they are planning to come to the international market, and then also later on when they are already established in the market, whenever they need any services. And it’s not only the trade missions; it’s market analysis, different market opportunities, finding partners, financing and, of course, the visits by themselves that are included in the services. It involves, of course, the role of the embassy in bringing the Finnish companies to the decision-makers here so that they can directly tell about the expertise for those who are deciding.
In line with that, are there any bilateral trade agreements or memoranda of understanding currently in place between Finland and Nigeria to support trade and economic cooperation?
Of course, Finland is part of the European Union, where trade policy is a competence. Finland has not even had any more bilateral trade agreements since 1995, when we joined the European Union. But, of course, for any trade agreement, for example, that Nigeria would have with the European Union market, there have been discussions earlier about it, but it has not been active for some years now. What I mean is that if Nigeria has access to the whole European Union market, it would be bigger than what Finland can offer by itself. And this is because the EU is a customs union and much larger.
Are there any programmes encouraging Nigerian students or entrepreneurs to study, train or collaborate with institutes in Finland, including exchange programmes?
I must say that Nigerian students have found Finland as an education/study hub. Finland has an education system that is quite well known, and we are quite a sought-after partner for education and development of education. We have our educational institutions offering more English language programmes. They are independent and autonomous, so they make their own choices for the students. I’m happy to say that many Nigerians are already studying in Finland. And then it’s also for the education institutions to decide, for example, for the scholarships that they are being offered to the students outside the European Union. The studies for the Finnish citizens and the European Union are free of charge, more or less, but for the third countries, there are tuition fees, but the scholarships then would cover some of the expenses. And we are, of course, also encouraged whenever we have some educational institutions, universities, for example, contacting us, and they would like to find a partner educational institution here, for example, for teaching and vocational training, which we are also very strong in in Finland, and so on.
Looking ahead, what’s your vision for Finland-Nigeria relations over the next five to ten years, particularly in trade, development and cooperation?
I think the outlook is very positive. I have a background in foreign trade, and that has been one of the reasons why my government also thought it would be very good to have an ambassador with an understanding of foreign trade. Of course, it requires a lot of interaction with different players. But I would say it’s very positive because we see Nigeria as a very important partner in Africa, particularly in West Africa. Nigeria has a lot of political, economic and regional power. Finland wants to increase interaction and diversify its relations with African countries, and Nigeria, of course, is a key part of the African continent and is of huge interest to us.
What message would you give to Nigerian business owners or exporters looking to break into the Finnish market?
It’s a little bit the same as the advice we are giving here to our companies who are interested in the Nigerian market: that it’s important to find a good local partner. The second is, of course, to explore what the needs are. And there, of course, the Nigerian embassy, like our Finnish embassy here, would be a good contact point for Nigerian companies because they have the knowledge of the local business environment as well. But of course, we are cooperating here. So I’m sure there are a lot of different opportunities. I wouldn’t like to specify any particular product, but the opportunities are plenty.
How does Finland view Nigeria’s role in regional peace and security within ECOWAS and the African region?
In the context of ECOWAS, Nigeria is a leading country. Recently, there have been discussions about what will happen to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) since some member states have decided to leave. Nigeria’s role as the biggest ECOWAS country has always been crucial. I see it continuing to be so in the future, not only for trade but also for peace, security, and political relations. How I would like to see the region develop is through increased trade, because trade brings development, and development, of course, brings prosperity for the people. So I think that would be something very interesting and very important also for Nigeria to take the position it deserves.
Given Finland’s recent ascension to NATO, how would that affect its foreign policy towards Nigeria and maybe Africa?
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) is not determining our foreign policy. I mean, it’s a defence pact, and we don’t get any instructions from NATO on how we conduct our Africa policy. Finland has had an Africa strategy in place since 2021, where we aim to diversify our relations with African countries. And of course, NATO membership brings us security in our own environment, and that decision was necessary. It’s one of the organisations we belong to. We are also members of the European Union, and like Nigeria, we are members of the United Nations, where we actively engage in multilateral affairs, as well as the WTO, the World Trade Organisation, which is currently led by an excellent director general from Nigeria, now serving a second term. So, there are many different organisations and arrangements where we are already cooperating. I wouldn’t say that our NATO membership would change our foreign policy towards Nigeria at all.
What has been your experience living and working in Nigeria, and what do you admire most about Nigerians?
As you can see, I’m already wearing adire (a traditional attire). So definitely one of the things is the Nigerian fabrics. I think the people here are dynamic, very friendly, and very welcoming. And it has been a very intensive first year. I have been here less than one year, so I’m still learning a lot every day about this amazing country. There are still so many things to learn about Nigeria. It’s a big one with so many cultures, languages, and traditions that I would like to learn more about in the coming years that I’m here.
As Finnish ambassador, what legacy would you like to leave behind at the end of your mission?
Definitely, I would like to leave behind more interaction and cooperation between our countries; in a way, Nigeria is better known in Finland for the good things that we have here. And also that Finnish companies would have a stronger presence here than they do now, that they have found new partnerships, and that trade has increased between our countries. Those are a few of the things I hope for. And then, of course, for Nigerians to know more about Finland and what we have to offer. This is because sometimes, the two countries are very different from each other. We are a small country in the northern part of Europe, while Nigeria is a giant country in Africa and globally. Therefore, we can learn a lot from each other.
