MFA: Finnpartnership's new, revised programme period to be begin - Support for companies aiming for developing markets

Finnpartnership's new three-year programme period will begin on 1 January 2022. Finnpartnership is a business partnership programme under the Ministry for Foreign Affairs that helps Finnish companies and other actors launch long-term business in developing countries. The programme provides financial support, training, as well as advisory and information services on preparing profitable and responsible business. Starting from 2006, Finnpartnership has provided support for more than 1,000 Finnish companies targeting developing markets.

The key objective of the programme is to achieve development impacts as a result of profitable, sustainable and responsible business operations. Development impacts include decent jobs, services for poor people, technology and competence transfer, increased equality, and environmentally-friendly and climate-friendly solutions.

"Finnish companies have a lot of the competence needed for addressing the needs of developing countries and promoting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. During its new programme period, Finnpartnership will be better placed to support the access of companies to developing markets," says Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari.

During the new programme period, Finnpartnership’s activities will be reformed. The aim is to develop the services offered to companies, increase the impact of the programme and improve the efficiency of the programme's administration.

Key reforms include:

• Services for companies will be developed. In particular, country-level services will be increased by recruiting experts to Kenya and Vietnam to support the team working in Finland.
• The impact of the programme will be increased by focusing services to projects that have the prerequisites for significant development impacts. In particular, cooperation between companies and organisations will be promoted.
• Closer cooperation with other financial instruments, such as the Developing Markets Platform (DevPlat) and the Public Sector Investment Facility (PIF). The objective is the provision of more seamless financial services for companies.

The general terms and conditions for Finnpartnership Business Partnership Support for the programme period 2022-2024 and an application notice have been published in Finnish on the Finnpartnership website. The application notice will be published in English before 1.1.2022. Supported enterprises are required to promote human rights and comply with the principles of corporate social responsibility. In order to achieve more efficient and sustainable results, companies are encouraged to enter into partnerships with NGOs, research institutes and educational institutions.

Finnpartnership is part of the Team Finland network, which promotes the success of Finland and Finnish companies globally. Finnpartnership engages in close cooperation with Business Finland and Fingo, the umbrella organisation for Finnish development NGOs.

The support services for the Finnpartnership programme are provided by the Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation Ltd (Finnfund). Finnfund is a Finnish development financier whose mission is to create a better world by financing responsible companies in developing countries. At the commission of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finnfund is responsible for the implementation of the Finnpartnership Programme and also assists Business Partnership Support applicants in matters related to applying for and implementing support.

Finnpartnership 
Ministry for Foreign Affairs 

Enquiries:

Team Leader Antti Piispanen, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. + 358 40 134 5930, firstname.lastname@formin.fi

Programme Director Birgit Nevala, Finnpartnership (Finnfund), tel. + 358 44 357 0811, firstname.lastname@finnpartnership.fi