Unit for Northern and Western Africa

The Unit for Northern and Western Africa handles matters concerning Finland’s relations with North Africa, West Africa and the countries of the Sahel region, and regional organisations and other relevant cooperation bodies.

The Unit is responsible for:

• political, trade political, commercial and economic, and cultural matters with respect to the countries of the region in so far as they concern Finland’s bilateral relations with them or pertain to the EU’s external relations and to multilateral institutions;
• regional organisations and other cooperation bodies, such as the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM);
• matters relating to state and ministerial visits to and from the region, contacts with the countries of the region including, for example, bilateral consultations and export promotion;
• monitoring the activities of international organisations and financial institutions in the region and providing information about the region to other departments of the Ministry.