For the past four years that you’ve been in Nigeria as the ambassador, how would you describe your stay so far?
I have thoroughly enjoyed my years in Nigeria. It has been a very busy time, and professionally a very fulfilling one. It has been a privilege to represent Finland in Nigeria, and I have worked hard throughout to promote relations between our countries. I have had great cooperation with different quarters of the Nigerian society, including government, private sector, and the media. Relations between Finland and Nigeria have been very active during the past four years. We have had three high-level visits from Finland to Nigeria, all very successful. Last year, as part of the official 100th anniversary programme of Finland, we brought to Nigeria the ‘CodeBus Africa’ project. Together with young local instructors, we provided computer coding workshops for students of four public schools, most of the participants being girls. The project created a huge amount of interest, and was well appreciated by students as well as teachers. At our 100th Independence Day reception, I was very honoured to have the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria by my side. Nigerian ministers have made themselves very much available to the cause of promoting Finland Nigeria relations, which I am grateful for. Read more
