Riyadh, September 25, 2023, Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi is leading a 36-member delegation from the public and private sectors of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to participate in the Saudi-Singapore Business Forum hosted in Singapore. This forum, running until September 27, focuses on bilateral trade in goods and services and strategies for bolstering economic collaboration between the two nations.
During his visit, Minister Al-Qasabi engaged in discussions with high-ranking Singaporean officials. He met with Singaporean Minister of Education Chan Chun Sing and Singaporean Minister of Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli to explore cooperative efforts in the field of education. Key topics included equipping students with skills aligned with future industries, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship. The two sides exchanged insights into the Singaporean education system, shared experiences, discussed training initiatives, fostered collaboration between universities and schools, expanded scholarship programs, and explored cooperation in endowments. Vice Minister of Commerce and CEO of the National Competitiveness Center, Dr. Eman Al-Mutairi, and Saudi Ambassador to Singapore Abdullah Al Madhi were present at the meetings.
Minister Al-Qasabi also held discussions with Chairman of Singapore Economic Development Board Png Cheong Boon and Chairman of JTC Corporation Tan Chong Meng. The topics included collaborative measures to stimulate economic growth, provide commercial solutions to companies, develop industrial zones and business parks, and promote digitization in manufacturing. Additionally, discussions covered cooperation in the service economy sector, reviewing best practices, and key programs for enhancing competitiveness.
Future cooperation in research between the National Competitiveness Center and the Asia Competitiveness Institute at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy was discussed with Vice Dean of the School Francesco Mancini and Director of the Institute Paul Cheung.
In the coming days, Minister Al-Qasabi is scheduled to meet with several Singaporean ministers and officials, including Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng, Minister for Communications Josephine Teo, Chairman of Enterprise Singapore Peter Ong, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Supply Chain and Logistics Academy Robert Yap.
The Saudi delegation's itinerary includes visits to specialized educational institutions, business innovation centers, and the port of Tawas, known as the world's largest automated port, with the aim of learning about best practices and high-quality services in various domains. Additionally, they will participate in the Saudi-Singapore Business Forum, organized by the National Competitiveness Center in collaboration with the Federation of Saudi Chambers and the Singapore Business Federation. The forum will delve into the progress made in implementing Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 since its inception in 2016, opportunities for enhancing economic partnerships, and strengthening cooperation in vital sectors such as logistics, e-commerce, and modern technologies.
The delegation comprises representatives from various government agencies, including the Ministries of Commerce, Investment, Education, Health, and Industry and Mineral Resources, as well as the Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monshaat), the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), the Saudi Business Center, the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani), the Food and Drug Authority, the National Competitiveness Center, the National E-Learning Center, the Saudi Logistics Academy, the Federation of Saudi Chambers, and officials from Saudi companies.
