THE Philippines wants to work with Sweden in renewable energy (RE) and other sustainable technologies, as both countries seek deeper economic ties.
“We are pushing for job creation. We welcome manufacturing investments, for instance, because it has the capability to create many jobs for the country’s highly skilled labor force,” Finance Secretary Frederick Go said at a courtesy meeting with a delegation led by Trade Commissioner of Sweden to the Philippines Johan Lennefalk.
Sweden has been working on several clean-energy initiatives that could potentially be expanded in the Philippines, Lennefalk said.
“In energy, we are mostly fossil-free. We are working with the Swedish Energy Agency on various technologies, including floating offshore wind as well as integrated wind and solar solutions,” he said.
“We hope to see some installations down the line, and there are already two or three companies involved in these initiatives.”
For his part, Go said the Philippine government has been pushing to increase the share of RE in the country’s power generation mix to enhance energy security, reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels and support climate goals.
The country welcomes investments in digital technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and cybersecurity solutions to modernize industries and improve productivity, Go said.
He mentioned health care, agriculture, food security, electronics, mineral processing, manufacturing and the services sector where stronger cooperation with Sweden could happen.
Meanwhile, Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Anna Ferry said she hopes for continued improvements in the processing of grants and development assistance projects.
Streamlining and accelerating grant processing procedures could help attract additional investments and facilitate the timely implementation of projects that support economic and social development, Ferry said.
