SINGAPORE - Ministers and senior officials from seven Sub-Saharan African countries are in Singapore for a two-day exchange visit, at the invitation of Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam.
The delegates from Angola, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe were hosted to an official welcome lunch by Mr Shanmugam at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Monday.
In his opening address, Mr Shanmugam said that Singapore will organise a series of customised courses for African senior officials on areas such as economic development, public administration and sustainable urban development, MFA said in a statement on Monday. The Singapore Cooperation Programme has trained over 7,700 African officials since it was started in 1992.
The African delegates also visited the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Institute of Technical Education College Central to learn about Singapore's experience in urban planning and education.
On Tuesday, Mr Shanmugam will hold separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Mauritius, Rwanda and Tanzania, and will sign an Avoidance in Double Taxation Agreement with Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Louise Mushikiwabo.
Singapore's bilateral trade with Africa grew at a compound annual growth rate of close to 12 per cent over the past five years to reach S$14 billion last year, MFA said.
