A Finnish business delegation to South-East Asia arranged by Finpro, ended its two-country visit February 9-10 in the Philippines (following on Myanmar), lead by Mr. Jan Vapaavuori, Minister of Economic Affairs of Finland.
Mr. Vapaavuori said the Finnish government decided to organize a business mission to the Philippines as the country is growing rapidly, making it an attractive location for business.
“The Philippines’ economic development, the rise of a new Asian tiger and its strategic location in Asia offer interesting business possibilities. The estimated six to seven percent economic growth in the Philippines this year forecasts a very good year for businesses,” he said.
Visiting Manila a 13-company business delegation had the opportunity to attend networking events and to request sectoral meetings with local business leaders, organizations and authorities; organized in co-operation with the Embassy of Finland and with local partners.
In the Philippines the following sectors were in focus: Cleantech, Energy/Renewable Energy, Transportation & Logistics, Infrastructure & Construction, ICT, Business Management (IT/tech support, software development, finance & accounting, HR)
The purposes of the visit were: to foster and increase bilateral economic relations by promoting Finnish business offerings at governmental and business levels, to find new cooperation possibilities for Finnish companies, to gather information on the opportunities Myanmar and the Philippines can offer Finnish companies, to enhance and support existing Finnish business activities in the destination countries and the region.
The aim was furthermore to tighten business and political relationships between Finland and the Philippines, and to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
A business seminar was organized at the Fairmont Makati Hotel to explore business opportunities with key Philippine companies in the construction, ICT, mining, and renewable energy sectors. Individual meetings with various government departments, as well as Filipino companies ranging from SMEs to major conglomerates were also part of the delegation’s program.
The Finnish companies participating were: Comptel, Eltel Networks, Gigamare, Kone, Konecranes, Nocart, Nokia, Opteam, Outotec, Pajat Solutions, Pöyry, Sandvik, and Wärtsilä.
“Most of them are involved in the Philippine business for a long time and they are looking for a long-term relationship as well,” said Pekka Nieminen, leader of the business delegation and President of breaking, surface drilling and tunneling at Sandvik Construction.
