KEETMANSHOOP: Finnish Minister of European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb will visit Namibia in November this year.

Counsellor at the Embassy of Finland in Namibia, Antti Piispanen announced this on Wednesday during the official opening of the Karas regional renewable energy shop in Keetmanshoop.

The Finnish minister, who is also expected to visit South Africa in the same month, will be accompanied by a business delegation made up of representatives of prominent Finnish companies in various fields such as clean technologies and renewable energy.

Piispanen encouraged the Namibian Government and companies to use the visit as a chance to discuss business deals and form more partnerships, especially in the energy sector.

He said the Finnish Embassy in Namibia supports the implementation of Namibia’s Off-Grid Energisation Master Plan (OGEMP). This resulted in the establishment of energy shops in all 13 regions of the country.

The counsellor said this is one of the most notable benefits from the partnership Namibia has with Finland, adding that more partnerships should be signed to help satisfy the high demand for energy.

“The promotion of economically, socially and ecologically-sustainable development is a central goal of Finland’s development policy. Discussions on the role of renewable energy are timely, not just here in southern Africa, but globally,” explained the counsellor.

He noted that Namibia is very lucky to have an ample supply of natural resources such as sun, water biomass and wind, and that there is potential to develop renewable energy technologies.

“The utilisation of renewable energy resources is crucial if Namibia is to achieve adequate level of supply that would translate into economic growth and prosperity to all and eventually into sustainable development,” said Piispanen.

He then congratulated the Namibian Government on its efforts to utilise renewable energy resources and bring such services to people in the rural areas who mostly need it.