As part of the development of municipalities’ services, NIHAK is clarifying its organization.
In the future, the region’s Invest In activities will be coordinated through NIHAK’s regional development services. On July 1, Kimmo Niskanen will start as the leader of the operations.
The task of regional development services is to support municipalities’ vitality and companies’ development of the business environment. The goal is to increase awareness of the region and implement the Invest In activity in practical cooperation in NIHAK’s area. The work is already familiar to NIHAK, and the need to clarify the service’s availability has emerged with practical experience. For example, good lessons have been learned from Finland’s first regional solar farm survey.
– There has clearly been a demand for the Invest In service for municipalities. Providing support in the region has promoted dialog between the entities implementing the projects and municipalities.
In the municipalities, this has been seen as an increase in the information needed for decision making and as an acceleration of investment in municipalities, says Toni Krankkala, CEO of NIHAK.
The change will further improve the service NIHAK offers its member municipalities. In addition to the service for entrepreneurs already operating in the area or those planning a new business activity, NIHAK now offers a resource to serve new companies interested in the area.
Investors are interested in NIHAK’s area
It is currently known that investments of 5 billion euros are being implemented or prepared in NIHAK’s area, especially for green transition energy production and the construction of electricity networks.
These will be followed by industrial investment if the area is attractive enough. NIHAK supports municipalities in making investment projects possible, and the goal is to get companies in the region involved in the implementation.
Niskanen says that the municipalities in the region need the support of NIHAK’s regional business services in getting new and regionally significant industrial investments. The effects of a large investment project extend to all municipalities in many ways.
– The area has many attractive factors, but it always has its own challenges to attracting new investments.
We must meet this challenge with the municipalities, says Niskanen.
As before, the municipalities will be responsible for their own land use and its planning, as well as their own premises. NIHAK’s regional development services support municipalities’ development work and the entire region.
More information:
Kimmo Niskanen
kimmo.niskanen@nihak.fi
tel: +358 40 029 9412
