Finland establishes association for young entrepreneur exchange with the UAE
In Finland, two young entrepreneurs, Juho Nisula and Kaius Karjalainen, together with Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi, a member of the ruling family of the Emirate of Ajman, founded an independent non-profit association. Its goal is to develop long-term cooperation between Finland and the United Arab Emirates, starting with an exchange programme for young entrepreneurs.
As YLE News reports, the organisation’s founding document was signed in Suomenlinna during Al Nuaimi’s second visit to Finland in mid-August 2026. His 13-year-old son Sultan also came to the country with him.
Meeting in Davos
Nisula and Karjalainen met the sheikh in January 2025 in Davos, where they had arrived for a side event of the World Economic Forum. They helped organise an international event and slept on the floor in the bathroom of the venue during the trip.
During his speech, Al Nuaimi spoke about the need to unlock the global potential of young people. After the speech, Nisula and Karjalainen approached him and said that they were exactly the young people he had just been talking about. They then exchanged contact details and agreed to continue communicating.
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Visits to Finland and Ajman
In August 2025, the sheikh visited Finland with a 27-year-old relative. During the trip, the guests learned about Finnish companies, visited parliament and went to the Luukki natural area in Espoo. Al Nuaimi also stayed not in a hotel but at Nisula’s home.
At the end of October 2025, Nisula and Karjalainen made a return visit to the Emirate of Ajman. There, they became acquainted with the local culture, had dinner in Abu Dhabi with young entrepreneurs and, at the sheikh’s request, spoke to university students. They also met with the ruler of Ajman, Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi III.
Exchange programme
The first participants in the exchange programme are expected to travel to Ajman in February. Al Nuaimi, who has worked with young people since 1996, said that he seeks to help young people realise their potential and leave behind a generation that will achieve more than he himself has.
