Amalgamated Bank of South Africa (ABSA-Kenya) in partnership with the Consul for the Republic of Estonia has flagged off a cohort of its members on a 10-day business trip to Estonia and Finland.

The trip aims to provide participants from information communication technology (ICT), manufacturing, industry, healthcare and fintech sectors with information and key business connections into the Estonian and Finland markets.

Speaking during the event in Nairobi, Honorary Consul for the Republic of Estonia in Kenya, Kadri Humal-Ayal, said the delegation is focused on Kenyan private sectors interested in technology solutions for their businesses to boost their markets in Estonia and across Africa.

“The main benefit is that Estonia, with two decades of building a robust digital society, will share that experience through partners on the ground here,” she affirmed.

Ambassador Humal-Ayal said Kenya should not be worried about digital colonialism (neo-colonialism) since the governments of Kenya and Estonia are committed to strengthening capacity-building relationships between private sectors of the two countries.

“Kenyan private companies will be able to deliver enterprise-level solutions to the Kenyan government to digitise government services to the levels of technology advanced nations like Estonia,” she stated.

Humal-Ayal announced that Estonia is open to do business with Kenya and added their companies are willing to share their vast experience with new frontiers like Kenya which is interested in digital transformation.

 “Currently Estonia is at 100 percent digital service including the e-citizenship which allows people to apply to be citizens digitally,” she revealed.

Additionally, the envoy highlighted that Estonian digital industry has been built by the private sectors which formulate policies that are adopted by the government.

“There is willingness to close deals in business-to-business (B2B) to help the government to be more citizen centric, disclosed Humal-Ayal, urging the delegation to Estonia and Finland to pick crucial knowledge during the business trip and customize it for Kenya.

In response, ABSA Bank-Kenya Business Director, Elizabeth Wasunna, reiterated that the business club members drawn from ABSA are embarking on a business trip that will open up opportunities and partnerships, an initiative that the banking institution has been practising since transitioning from Barclays to ABSA.

“It’s a journey that we will continue to be on because it is intentional and has allowed us to engage and walk the journey with customers,” insisted Wasunna.

She said ABSA prides itself in such business clubs which offers opportunities for its members to benchmark especially in the digital markets and fintech world.

“We looked at this, especially in Estonia and Finland, because the two nations are the most digitalised countries and also their enhancement of businesses and e-services,” noted Director Wasunna.

ABSA Bank, Head of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Erastus Muthura said the bank, apart from giving traditional products for the bank on the financing side, offers club members with sustainable finance, share information, perform mentorship and training.

“But today we are here because of one of our pillars that deals with access to markets and access to information, so we have brought together business people and customers who are in different businesses from different sectors,” announced Muthura.

He added that ABSA Bank has partnered with some of their stakeholders including the SMEs in taking them to Estonia where they will be meeting other business people in various business to business forums to expand their markets as well as knowledge.

• A Tell / KNA report / Clinton Ng’iela