9th Arctic Business Forum opens in Kemi today

9th Arctic Business Forum (ABF) organised by the Lapland Chamber of Commerce begins today in the city of Kemi with the view to review the latest global, regional and local developments affecting the Arctic business.

The inauguration ceremony of the two-day annual forum will be held at the Kemi Cultural Centre at 9.00am. Lapland Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Chairman Juha Mäkimattila, Kemi City Mayor Tero Nissinen, and Economic & Commercial Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Finland Sun Liwei, among others, will address the session.

This is the second time that Kemi, which, together with the city of Tornio, is one of the biggest industrial centres in the Arctic region, is hosting the forum. About 110 participants from eight different countries are taking part in the event this year, said the organisers.

“Arctic business seems to be burgeoning across the European Arctic region,” Lapland Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Timo Rautajoki told the Daily Finland on the eve of the business conference. He said the total amount of investments committed for 2018-2025 in the region is 20 billion euros more than that committed in last year. “Most of those are onshore; however, off-shore investments amount slightly more than 10 billion euros.”

Rautajoki said considering the smooth and all-out preparations and that the process of registration is still on, the forum this year is expected to be much bigger than the last one.

“This year we have some new speakers, especially on the ‘great Arctic Railway debate’, even from Italy and Russia. I think we have participants from more than 10 countries. And we have finished printing our ABF Yearbook 2018 this evening,” the chamber leader said on Tuesday evening.

Lapland Chamber of Commerce Deputy Director Viivi Lakkapää said, “We are looking forward to a fruitful discussion on the Arctic Railway, investments in the Arctic region, and the start-up culture.”

The forum’s theme this year is ‘Investments, Competitiveness and Start-ups’ in the Arctic region.

The forum will review, among other things, the latest updates on cross-border cooperation in the European Arctic, Arctic business and investment potential in 2018, the proposed Arctic Railway, Arctic start-ups, business competitiveness in the Arctic, and business developments in the European Arctic.

The ABF is an international event that brings together companies and business stakeholders from Finland and abroad. Special attention is paid to strengthening inter-business networking and cooperation through B2B meeting points and business pitch sessions.

The forum will also evaluate the latest developments in international Arctic business cooperation amidst the changing global political scenario. The Arctic Business Forum Yearbook 2018 will also be launched during the event.