PM Lee meets with Sub-Saharan African officials

SINGAPORE - A delegation of Ministers and Senior Officials from seven Sub-Saharan African countries made a joint call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong this morning at the Istana.

During the call, the Ministers and Senior Officials from Angola, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe briefed PM Lee on the economic transformation that had been taking place in Africa.

They also spoke of the priorities of their respective governments, as well as the challenges they faced from rapid urbanisation.

They highlighted a number of areas where they could learn from Singapore's development experience, particularly in areas such as education, development of human capital, and urban planning. They also urged greater connectivity between Singapore and Africa, in order to improve people-to-people exchanges and tourism flows.

In response, PM Lee noted that Africa was a continent on the move, and expressed that Singapore would like to be part of Africa's growth story.

Singapore companies were showing interest in the continent, PM Lee said, adding that he hopes that the 3rd Africa-Singapore Business Forum held this week can help Singapore and African companies connect and identify joint business opportunities.

Following the joint call with PM Lee, the delegates visited the Hyflux Innovation Centre. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam will host an official dinner for the delegates tonight.

ljessica@sph.com.sg