South Africa and Singapore have agreed to work together in areas of information and communications technology (ICT) and skills development.
The announcement was made yesterday, on the occasion of Singapore prime ministerLee Hsien Loong’s official state visit to SA. Loong is accompanied by a business delegation comprising 17 Singapore companies.
During the visit, two bilateral cooperation memorandums of understanding (MOUs) were signed, as part of an agreement to strengthen ties between the nations.
The ICT MOU looks to enhance cooperation between the countries’ digital agencies. Meanwhile, the skills development MOU aims to strengthen the sharing of experiences and best practices in education and training, according to Singapore's ministry of foreign affairs.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Loong were both present at the signing.
In a statement, Ramaphosa says the countries share a common interest in promoting economic growth, social development and prosperity for citizens.
“This visit provided SA and Singapore an opportunity to discuss areas of cooperation that are firmly focused on the future.
“This includes cooperation in the fields of digitalisation, communications and technology, water and sanitation, and skills development, among others.
“We have also agreed to deepen our cooperation on science and innovation.”
SA and Singapore already have 30 years of diplomatic relations.
In the past, the countries signed numerous agreements, to enhance cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, education and defence.
The Asian country is regarded as a significant investor in SA, with investments totalling over R5 billion in sectors such as manufacturing, financial services and real estate.
According to the prime minister, SA is Singapore’s most broad-based partner in Sub-Saharan Africa. “Our partnership is underpinned by strong economic ties. Our bilateral trade has grown by over 60% since 2018.
“We have accumulated around R13.5 billion of investments in South Africa, which is nearly a billion Singapore dollars. And there are many Singapore companies here across a wide range of industries, including agribusiness, urban solutions, hospitality, manufacturing, ports and logistics, and innovation and technology.”
The heads of state also discussed SA’s application to become a sectorial dialogue partner with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“The global role of the ASEAN region has been growing over the last five decades, creating the sixth largest market in the world,” states Ramaphosa.
“Further deepening the cooperation between South Africa and ASEAN would open up opportunities in various fields, such as trade, infrastructure development, technology transfer, education, science, innovation and tourism.”
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