Minister refutes media reports ‘Finland dwindled bilateral support to Zambia’

The media reports stating that 'Finland has drastically reduced bilateral aid support to Zambia due to corruption allegations' have been rejected by the Zambian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently.

Ministry spokesperson Dorcas Chileshe says Zambia and Finland have enjoyed 50 years of diplomatic relations as well as 45 years of development cooperation. According to Chileshe, the two countries have collaborated with several sectors of development in the last five decades including education, health, environmental protection and forestry. Both the countries are currently exploring ways of further strengthening cooperation in various fields such as energy, agriculture, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and manufacturing, the statement noted.

Chileshe further said that there has been an increased focus on boosting trade and investment between Finland and Zambia. This development has been welcome since it has the potential to create jobs, increase foreign exchange earnings and contribute to the growth of our economy, as reported by Lusaka Times.

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