Swedish Ambassador Seeks Nigeria–Sweden Partnership to Drive Innovation, Digital Transformation
The Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Anna Westerholm, has called for deeper Nordic-Nigerian partnerships and long-term ecosystem building as Nigeria accelerates its digital transformation.
Westerholm made the call in Enugu at the 2026 Enugu Tech Festival.
She led a Nordic delegation to the event alongside the Consul-General of Denmark in Lagos and representatives of several Nordic companies to explore investment and collaborative opportunities in Nigeria’s innovation space.
“The future does not arrive fully formed; it is built by those who dare to imagine it,” she said.
According to her, the delegation attended not as observers but as partners interested in renewable energy, innovation, ecotourism and digital development.
She described the festival as one of Nigeria’s emerging platforms for innovation, where policy meets entrepreneurship and talent meets opportunity.
The ambassador noted that Nigeria’s ingenuity, resilience and youthful population positioned the country strategically in the global digital economy.
She stressed that investments in digital skills, cybersecurity, innovation ecosystems and public-private partnerships must be treated as strategic priorities.
Drawing from Sweden’s experience, Westerholm said innovation thrives where there is institutional stability, regulatory predictability, digital readiness and strong public-private collaboration.
She added that Sweden, despite its population of about 10 million people, consistently ranks among global leaders in startup success per capita.
The ambassador noted that Sweden is home to globally recognised companies such as Spotify, King and Ericsson.
She, however, cautioned that innovation models from cities like Stockholm or Copenhagen could not simply be replicated in Nigeria without adaptation to local realities.
Westerholm urged young innovators to embrace discipline, integrity and persistence, noting that they were already shaping the digital economy.
She added that Swedish companies at the festival were prepared to build lasting partnerships with startups, universities, regulators and investors across Nigeria.
