Promoting business cooperation between companies in Finland and Zambia

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Promoting business cooperation between companies
in Finland and Zambia

• Workshop in Lusaka, November 2009

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Content of presentation
1. Matchmaking
2. Support facility (financial grant)
3. Advisory services and networking
4. Cooperation opportunitites
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1. Matchmaking - Identifying Business Partnerships

• Finnpartnership channels business partnership
  initiatives and opportunities from companies in
  Zambia to Finnish companies and vice versa.

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Matchmaking how it works

• Starts from Business partnership idea long term
  joint activities joint ventures, importing /
  exporting, transfer of technology and know how,
  etc..
• Companies can apply for the matchmaking service
  by submitting an application form
• Form can be downloaded from Finnpartnerships
  website

www.finnpartnership.fi/matchmaking
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Matchmaking how it works (cont.)

• Business initiatives are published on the
  internet
• Business partnership initiatives will also be
  forwarded directly to eligible companies in
  Finland and to cooperation partners in Nordic
  countries.

www.finnpartnership.fi/partnersearch
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Matchmaking how it works (cont.)

• Matchmaking forum search function
• Lists also Finnish companies looking for business
  partners from developing countries

Contact matchmaking_at_finnpartnership.fi
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Example
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Example
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Experience and challenges of MM

• Database is not enough Marketing, newsletters,
  active promotion, hard copies, etc.
• Database is only as good as the information in
  it data verification and quality of information
• Takes time to establish good quality, reliable
  database investment in cooperation with other
  actors important (Finland / nordic)!
• Need to improve networks to Zambia and develop
  better channels of information sharing to
  identify potential companies
• Commitment and investment from all needed!

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2. Business Partnership Support Facility

• Financial grant, which can be used to facilitate
  business partnership formulation
• Covers 50 70 of expenses related to joint
  project between the companies, max 250 000 per
  project
• expenses incurred in the planning phases of joint
  projects.
• expenses related to employee training and
  business development of existing partnership
  project in Zambia.
• Consultation fees, product and packaging
  development, standardizations, travel fees, etc..

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Business Partnership Support Facility (cont.)

• Eligible applicants are
• companies registered in Finland
• research facilities, universities or similar
  organizations based in Finland associations
  registered in Finland
• Also companies based in Zambia can apply when
  there are strong links to Finland, i.e. Finnish
  ownership or existing long-term cooperation with
  Finnish company based on agreement.
• Companies applying for the support facility have
  more resources for organizing training of
  employees of a partnership company, or to employ
  short-term external experts for development of a
  specific business area (quality control,
  logistics, certifications, etc.)

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Advisory services and networking

• Networking, newsletters, events, facilitation of
  trade delegations, round tables, seminars..
• For example, a user friendly guide book
  Exporting to Finland available online

• http//www.finnpartnership.fi/exporting

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Example
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Information distribution

• Reports of partners, e.g. Invest in Finland

• Other market information

• Information on Zambia to Finnish companies?
• Information on Finland to Zambian companies (in
  collaboration with other Nordic countries)?
• Electronic newsletters?
• What else could we do?

Example
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Jan 2010 - Dec 2012

• New progamming phase, possible to revise the
  services provided
• Old services EXPORT PROMOTION ACTIVITIES
• What that could be in Zambia?
• Cooperation What are the roles of various
  actors?

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Cooperation opportunitites

• For Companies Matchmaking and grant.
• For Experts expert roster (sector and country
  knowledge).
• For Business association and organisations joint
  events, trade delegations, round table meetings,
  sharing of information on market and business
  opportunities
• What you would like to do with us to promote
• Commercial cooperation and B2b contact
• Export from Zambia to Finland
• Information sharing on business opportuntities in
  Zambia and Finland

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For more information

• www.finnpartnership.fi
• Siv Ahlberg, Programme directorProgramme
  Coordinator
• siv.ahlberg_at_finnpartnership.fi
• Helena Kekki, Programme coorinatorhelena.kekki_at_f
  innpartnership.fi
• Finnpartnership
• c/o Finnfund - Finnish Fund for Industrial
  Cooperation Ltd.P.O.Box 391 (Uudenmaankatu 16
  B), FI-00121 Helsinki, Finland