Dear audience, esteemed guests, and Honourable Minister Jerry Silaa (M.P), it is a pleasure to be here today and thank you for this invitation and giving me the possibility to share a few reflections. Finland is a proud member of Team Europe, and we are promoting the digital agenda globally. We do this because of the immense transformative power of digital technologies. It promotes, as we know, economic growth, it promotes innovation in a completely new way, and it improves our well-being.

In September, we were very pleased to host Minister Silaa’s delegation in Helsinki, and then we flew him up to Oulu as well, a small town in northern Finland. During the visit, we were pleased to share insights from our own digital journey and solutions that have driven growth, improved connectivity, and enhanced security in my country. Finland believes that accelerating a human-centric, sustainable digital transition will bring similar benefits here in Tanzania as well, whether in education, healthcare, or governance. This commitment is central to our partnership with Tanzania. We value the partnership extremely, bilaterally and also as part of Team Europe. We aim at strengthening ties among European and Tanzanian actors — governments, private sector, civil society, and academic institutions, many of whom we see here today.

One of the key frameworks for advancing these efforts is Team Europe. In addition to our bilateral programs, Finland is proud to work together with other EU member states to support digitalization worldwide. Finland has recently assumed co-leadership of the new EU Informal Digital Hub here in Tanzania. Together with the EU delegation, we have contributed to joint EU initiatives like the Digital for Development Hub and played lead roles in EU twinning projects aimed at fostering digital transformation globally.

In Tanzania, we are especially proud of our twinning project co-led by Haaga-Helia, an institution of Finland, where we work together with the Ministry of ICT and its partners to strengthen digitalization. This peer-to-peer initiative emphasises learning from colleagues across borders. The twinning project is ambitious and broad; it aims to strengthen both social and economic development through digitalization, including cybersecurity, connectivity, and data protection. These elements are increasingly vital as a foundation for human activity in today's society. As cyber threats grow, strong cybersecurity frameworks are essential. We are working with Tanzanian counterparts to strengthen digital resilience, protect sensitive data, and ensure secure and sustainable connectivity. At the same time, we support the modernization of data protection frameworks to safeguard the privacy and rights of citizens as Tanzania digitises.

Through this twinning project, we aim to facilitate sustainable reforms and foster long-term cooperation in areas of digitalization. We are very pleased that we have the TAIEX instrument, which stands for Technical Assistance and Information Exchange, an instrument of the European Commission, bringing together top experts from Finland and other European countries to meet with their Tanzanian counterparts this very week.

Our partnership goes beyond technology. It's about sharing knowledge to enable Tanzania to lead its own digital transformation for the benefit of its citizens. There is great potential for further cooperation in areas like data policy frameworks, artificial intelligence, and sustainable data infrastructures. Our experience offers insights, but mutual learning is crucial. Today marks a significant step in deepening these partnerships.

We also know that digital transformation requires investments, especially from the private sector. To unlock these, we need strong policy and regulatory frameworks, particularly in data and artificial intelligence. Through the Global Gateway Strategy, Team Europe aims to unlock investments in trusted digital infrastructures in partner countries. Finland's National Development Finance Institution is also contributing to expanding digital sector investments in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Lastly, I want to highlight the Data Governance in Africa Initiative, where Finland works alongside partners like Germany, Estonia, France, and the African Union. This initiative strengthens data policy frameworks, supports cross-border data flows, and drives data-driven innovation and infrastructure development. Digitalization is not just about technology; it is about belonging to a society and the right to have access to information. From my own experience, one example is the government electronic service in Finland called Suomi.fi. It is a platform where you can find information and services for citizens’ needs in all kinds of areas, whether family matters, social security, health, education, employment or unemployment, housing, legal rights, economy, and travel — very many areas. This is making life easier for the citizens and keeps the trust between government and citizens strong.

Finland remains committed to supporting Tanzania's digital transformation through Team Europe and our expertise. Together, we can drive digital innovation and growth even further. Asante.