Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning, Hon. FCPA John Mbadi, EGH, hosted Finland’s Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Riina-Riikka Heikka, in a high-level courtesy call at the National Treasury Building this morning, signaling a bold pivot in bilateral ties from aid to investment-driven partnership.
The closed-door meeting underscored decades of warm diplomacy while charting a new course for economic collaboration. Mbadi called for a decisive shift away from traditional donor-recipient dynamics, urging Finnish businesses to invest in Kenya’s high-growth sectors.
“We are creating a stable, predictable, and sustainable ecosystem for investors,” he declared. “Finnish firms should seize opportunities in manufacturing, renewable energy, and value addition—sectors central to our Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and Vision 2030.”
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Ambassador Heikka praised Kenya’s evolving investment climate and highlighted Finnfund’s pivotal role in fueling private-sector growth.
The Finnish Development Finance Institution has channeled long-term capital into clean energy, agribusiness, healthcare, and financial inclusion—driving job creation, climate resilience, and sustainable industrialization. She reaffirmed Finland’s commitment to deepen trade and green partnerships, hailing Kenya as East Africa’s economic anchor.
Both leaders pledged stronger cooperation in energy transition, environmental stewardship, and green industrialization, aligning with global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The dialogue sets the stage for enhanced public-private ventures, with Finnfund and the Private Infrastructure Fund (PIF) poised to scale investments in transformative Kenyan projects.
