The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed the FCT Administration’s readiness to partner with the Republic of Finland in key areas including infrastructure development, agriculture, smart city technology, green energy, and modern waste management.
Wike made the declaration on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Sanna Selin, at his office in Abuja.
The Minister highlighted Abuja’s rapid growth and ongoing transformation, stating that the administration is keen to leverage Finland’s renowned expertise to sustain this progress.
“As a city, we are willing to cooperate with the cities of other countries to see how we can partner in terms of infrastructure and agriculture,” Wike said.
“You have already mentioned your willingness to provide support in infrastructure development, smart city technology, and green energy. We are very willing to partner with you in these areas.”
He also assured the Ambassador of improved security across the FCT and reiterated the administration’s commitment to providing a safe and enabling environment for international partners.
A major focus of the discussion was the urgent need to modernise the FCT’s waste management system. Wike invited Finnish firms with proven capacity in environmental technology to engage with the administration.
“It would be a pleasure for us to have a discussion on waste management with any firm that has the right capacity to manage our waste; that is very, very key for us,” the Minister added.
In her response, Ambassador Sanna Selin noted that bilateral relations between Finland and Nigeria have strengthened significantly in recent months. She highlighted Finland’s leadership in digitalisation, water and waste management, and circular economy solutions.
“Finland is one of the most digitized countries in the world, and we have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nigeria on digitalization and innovation,” the Ambassador said.
“We are also very advanced in water and waste management technologies, as well as circular economy solutions.”
The Ambassador expressed optimism that the expertise available in Finland’s capital region could be replicated in the FCT through concrete projects, further expanding economic and technical cooperation between the two countries.
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