From Feb. 25 to 27, Sweden’s State Secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Diana Janse, and Director General of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Jakob Granit, visited the Philippines with a delegation.
The Philippines is a priority partner for Sweden, and the purpose of the officials’ visit was to further deepen partnerships. During their visit, the Swedish officials engaged with key counterparts from the Departments of Finance, National Defense, Foreign Affairs, Transport, and Information and Communications Technology, as well as the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) in Clark, focusing on ongoing initiatives. The state secretary also attended the signing of a new grant to support public transportation development, provided by Swedfund (the Swedish Development Finance Institution), at the Department of Transportation.
In Clark, Swedish officials met with representatives from the DICT, World Food Programme (WFP), and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation to discuss collaboration in disaster resilience and how Swedish expertise, innovation, and technology can contribute to enhancing the Philippines' preparedness and response capacity for natural disasters. Ericsson Response, the disaster relief program of the leading Swedish provider of mobile connectivity solutions Ericsson, together with the DICT and WFP, presented their work and one of the specialized Government Emergency Communications Service-Mobile Operations Vehicles (GECS-MOVE). Ten of these vehicles, provided by Ericsson, are deployed in strategic locations around the country to ensure a fast and effective response. Trusted connectivity is critical for a country’s safety.
Swedish officials also met with BCDA to express support for the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas Freight Railway Project and were shown its plans and progress. Sweden is supporting the DOTr in the project development phase, providing technical assistance through Swedfund.
“We are determined to continue building a deep and long-lasting partnership with the Philippines. In addition, Swedish companies are investing in the country, contributing to job creation and technology transfer,” said State Secretary Diana Janse during her visit to the Swedish consumer electronics and engineered soft goods company OSM Group in Clark. The company chose to expand its industrial footprint in the Philippines, thanks to the availability of competitive skills in the country. OSM Group plans to expand operations and investments in 2025.
Sweden is one of the top global leaders in high-tech, innovative, and sustainable solutions in security and defense, connectivity, health, sustainable mining, and infrastructure. The country spends around 3.5 percent of its GDP on research and development, combining government and private sector efforts.
During the top officials’ visit, Sweden, through Sida, also signed a guarantee agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for $200 million. The guarantee will allow the ADB to increase investments to address climate change in the Southeast Asia region, including the Philippines.
This visit underscores Sweden’s commitment to fostering sustainable economic growth and resilience through knowledge-sharing and innovation-driven partnerships.