The East African Business Council (EABC), an umbrella organisation of investors in the region, is to woo Swedish investors.

Council members are heading to Sweden on a mission to forge business partnership deals, links and showcase East Africa’s trade opportunities.

Some of the sectors the delegation intends to interest Swedish investors in include agriculture, handicraft and tourism.

"The mission hopes to see increased trade between East Africa and Sweden in general while developing new working relationships among key private sector institutions at the grassroots level,” a statement signed by Bobi Odiko, EABC’s Communications & Marketing officer reads in part.

Ishaak Lukenge, a board member and director at the EABC Private Sector Federation, is to head the 16-man delegation of prominent business persons from the region.

They are also expected to hold various meetings with the Swedish business community and visit Helsingborg, the industrial city base 500 kilometres south of Stockholm.

EABC’s visit follows recent EABC and International Council of Swedish Industries (NIR) preparatory workshops. The workshops provided an overview of the trading environment in Sweden.

The country’s standing as a major economy and geographical centre point of the Baltic Sea region makes it a natural springboard for doing business in Europe. 

Sweden offers a triple market access: Scandanavia, the Baltic Sea region/northern Europe with 100 million consumers, and the European Union with some 550 million consumers.

"As a hotbed of many successful multinationals – homegrown as well as newcomers, Sweden provides an environment rich in innovation and cross-cutting technologies,” Odiko said.

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