Sweden eyes PHL mining, health tie-ups
By Justine Irish D. Tabile | Business World | November 5, 2024 8:43PM
REUTERS
THE Swedish government has expressed interest in collaborating with the Philippines in mining, health, transportation, digitalization, and defense, the Board of Investments (BoI) said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the BoI said Trade Undersecretary and BoI Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo recently met with Håkan Jevrell, Sweden’s State secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.
“The two officials discussed priority areas in trade and investments with the aim of establishing a platform for the two economies to discuss and exchange information on mutually identified priority areas through a Joint Economic Commission,” the BoI said.
During the meeting, Mr. Jevrell said that Sweden’s particular interest lies in introducing sustainable approaches to the above-named industries.
“Sweden is advanced in terms of technology transfer through partnering with the local ecosystem. A Swedish company, Ericsson, is the leading innovator for connectivity,” Mr. Jevrell said.
He said that Sweden has a strong interest in being further developing the Philippine mining industry.
“At this stage, the relationship with the Philippines (will involve) how to do sustainable mining with appropriate solutions, and Swedish companies are ready to be part of the Philippines’ mining journey with less impact on the environment,” he added.
On healthcare, Mr. Rodolfo cited the need for digitalization in the industry, adding that the Philippines aims to foster “an active pharmaceutical industry.”
Mr. Jevrell said Sweden is also open to supporting the Philippines in integrating renewables into the grid, citing Sweden’s own experience in overcoming the challenges of being an archipelagic country.
“Companies like ABB have strong interest in working more with the Philippines in this area,” he added.
Source: Business World
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