A pre-feasibility drone survey in progress at a project site in Sierra Leone

Convened and hosted by Sierra Leone

Where Africa and the Nordics do business

Sierra Leone convenes a pan-African bridge to Nordic capital — bringing investment-ready companies from across the continent together with Finnish, Nordic and international investors, and running the matchmaking from first introduction to signed deal.

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54: African countries eligible to apply
6: Priority investment sectors
2: Flagship forums: Helsinki & Freetown

Pre-feasibility drone survey of a project site in Sierra Leone, 27 July 2026. Photo: Sierra Leone Planning Office in Finland.

Deal Room

Start with curated opportunities

Curated matching means reviewed company profiles, relevant investor introductions and coordinated follow-through from first contact to meeting outcome.

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About

A pan-African bridge to Nordic capital

Convened and hosted by Sierra Leone, the platform gives companies from all 54 African countries one trusted route to Finnish, Nordic and international capital. The secretariat reviews opportunities, makes relevant introductions and follows each match through to an outcome.

Structured applications. Curated opportunities. Scheduled meetings. Accountable follow-through.

Read about the initiative

Finnish SMEs: 70% of project costs covered via Finnpartnership (50% for large companies).

How cost-sharing works

Programme

The forums

Three convening moments each year, designed so that capital and projects meet in a room with a schedule — not by chance.

Registration open

Sierra Leone–Finland Investment Forum

23–24 November 2026

Helsinki, Finland

Monday 23 November 2026: Toolonlahti Auditorium, Finland Chamber of Commerce House, Alvar Aallon katu 5 C, 00101 Helsinki.

Tuesday 24 November 2026: Tenaille von Fersen, Suomenlinna (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Helsinki.

Two days of state-level plenaries, sector roundtables and pre-screened one-to-one matchmaking between African companies and Nordic capital. Hosted by the Government of Sierra Leone with Finnish institutional partners.

Programme details

Save the date

Sierra Leone–Europe Investment Forum

28–29 January 2027

Freetown, Sierra Leone

The reciprocal leg: a European and Nordic delegation travels to Freetown for site visits, due-diligence meetings and government-to-business sessions on live projects.

Programme details

Programme partner

Africa–Finland Invest at Slush

Alongside Slush, annually

Helsinki, Finland

A focused side programme placing Africa's growth companies in front of the Nordic investor community during the region's largest founder and investor gathering.

Programme details

Where the capital goes

Priority sectors

Pre-feasibility drone survey at a project site in Sierra Leone, illustrating opportunities in agriculture — Pre-feasibility drone survey of a project site in Sierra Leone, 27 July 2026. Photo: Sierra Leone Planning Office in Finland.

Agriculture & Agro-processing

Cocoa, rice, cassava and palm value chains; irrigation, cold chain, processing and export-grade packaging.

Housing & Real Estate

Affordable housing delivery, serviced land, modular construction and mortgage-enabling infrastructure.

Circular Economy

Waste-to-value, plastics recovery, water treatment and industrial by-product reuse.

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Energy

Mini-grids, solar and hydro generation, transmission, storage and productive-use energy.

Pre-feasibility drone survey at a project site in Sierra Leone, illustrating opportunities in education — Pre-feasibility drone survey of a project site in Sierra Leone, 27 July 2026. Photo: Sierra Leone Planning Office in Finland.

Education & Skills

Technical and vocational training, teacher capacity, EdTech and Finnish pedagogy transfer.

Health

Diagnostics, pharmaceutical distribution, hospital equipment and digital health systems.

Newsroom

Latest news

All news

7 October 2026

Announcement

Sierra Leone joins the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action

Sierra Leone's membership of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action has been endorsed, and the Ministry of Finance has established a Climate Finance Unit to carry the work. The Sierra Leone Planning Office in Finland and the Sierra Leone-Finland Investment Forum team supported the process. Climate finance now joins the priority sectors the Forum brings to Nordic and international capital in Helsinki on 23 and 24 November.

18 August 2026

Announcement

Helsinki forum dates confirmed for 23–24 November 2026

The Sierra Leone–Finland Investment Forum will convene in Helsinki on 23–24 November 2026, with a ministerial delegation from Freetown and pre-screened matchmaking across six priority sectors.

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30 July 2026

Programme

Finnpartnership cost-sharing explained for African project sponsors

Finnish SMEs can have up to 70% of eligible project costs covered when developing business with African partners (50% for large companies). Our clinic walks sponsors through what qualifies.

9 July 2026

Pipeline

First pipeline cohort opens: agriculture, housing and energy

Applications are now open for companies across all 54 African countries. Approved companies are published to the Deal Room where registered investors can request meetings.

22 June 2026

Partnership

Freetown to host the reciprocal Europe forum on 28–29 January 2027

A Nordic and European delegation will travel to Sierra Leone for site visits and due diligence on projects originating from the Helsinki matchmaking round.