Doing Business with Finland seminar brought together Finnish and Somaliland businesses in Hargeisa

On 15^th June 2022, Finnpartnership organized the Doing Business with Finland in Hargeisa seminar, in collaboration with the Somaliland administration. As usual, the seminar facilitated encounters between Finnish and local businesses, and the offering of Finnish companies was presented to local business actors in Somaliland.

The event had around 13 Finnish companies and organizations as participants. Many sectors were represented, such as IT infrastructure, energy, construction, health/pharmaceuticals, and educational services, all the way from SMEs to listed companies. Local participants numbered around 100, and they also included both smaller and larger companies, from startups to more established businesses.

The matchmaking session organized during the seminar was a great success, and it was met with very positive feelings from local businesses, many of whom wished for more such networking opportunities. Event concepts in the vein of the Doing Business with Finland seminars are rather new in Somaliland, and local participants embraced it.

The seminar participants also included development financiers Finnfund and FCA Investments. Representatives of these organizations had almost non-stop discussions about investments with local business participants.

The next day, Finnish participants visited the second largest city in Somaliland, Berbera. The trip included a visit to the Port of Berbera hosted by port operator DP World, where the Finnish delegation learned about the large-scale expansion project of the port facilities and infrastructure. The delegation also had a meeting with representatives of the Somaliland Coast Guard, and they met a total of four ministers of the Somaliland government working with investment and foreign affairs-related matters.