Finnpartnership’s visit opened doors for cooperation in the forestry sector in Tanzania and South Africa

In June 2026, Finnpartnership invited companies in the wood industry and forestry sector to visit Tanzania and South Africa. The companies participated in “Doing Business with Finland” seminars in both countries, as well as a two-day field visit to the Iringa region in Tanzania and the WoodEx trade fair in South Africa. The series of events aimed to provide as comprehensive an overview as possible of the opportunities in the countries’ forestry sectors.

In Iringa, the Finnish delegation visited a local wood-focused vocational school as well as several companies, including sawmills. In addition, the companies toured local forests and learned about their management. The visit to Tanzania continued with the “Finnish Forest Day – Doing Business with Finland” seminar held in Dar es Salaam, where Finnish companies had the opportunity to present their offering to local businesses. The seminar also highlighted business opportunities in Tanzania’s forestry sector and discussed how youth participation and employment in the forestry sector are supported.

The event was organised in collaboration with the Embassy of Finland in Dar es Salaam, the Funguo programme, and UNDP Tanzania. The preparation and execution of the event went very smoothly—a warm thank you to Ambassador Theresa Zitting and all the embassy staff, as well as the UNDP experts for all their work!

Sawmill industry and mass timber construction in the spotlight in Pretoria

From Tanzania, the Finnish delegation traveled to South Africa, where it participated in the WoodEx trade fair in Johannesburg. In addition, a “Doing Business with Finland” seminar was held in Pretoria in collaboration with the Embassy of Finland in Pretoria, the University of Pretoria, and Sawmilling South Africa, the umbrella organisation for the wood industry. The university hosted the event on its campus, which—in keeping with the event’s theme—was constructed from plywood manufactured by the Finnish material solutions company UPM. Alongside the seminar, Finnish companies had the opportunity to tour the university’s new timber laboratory, where students conducting research presented their projects. The event provided a concise overview of South Africa’s sawmill industry and mass timber construction. A big thank you to all the co-organisers for a successful event!

Seven Finnish companies participated in each of the two target countries. The participants varied slightly from country to country, but the delegation included, among others, sawmill companies, manufacturers of forestry machinery and wood construction materials, experts in forest management solutions, and drone manufacturers. Tanzanian and South African companies were very interested in Finnish expertise and technology related to both forest management and wood processing. The B2B Matchmaking sessions at the Doing Business with Finland seminars were bustling with activity at every Finnish company’s booth. Business cards and contacts were exchanged, so now we look forward to potential collaboration projects.

Images: Funguo ja the University of Pretoria