President Cyril Ramaphosa will today host Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of the Republic of
Singapore for an Official Visit at Tuynhuys in Cape Town.
In a statement, the Presidency said the visit will be an opportunity for the two countries to
strengthen their longstanding partnership and explore new areas of bilateral economic cooperation.
“President Ramaphosa and Prime Minister Hsien Loong will hold official talks on cooperation in the
areas of communications and digital technology, science and innovation, water and sanitation and
skills development. “
The Official Visit will also bring leading businesspeople from the respective countries to collaborate
in sectors ranging from ports, logistics and supply chain, healthcare and biomedical, food
manufacturing and engineering,” the Presidency said.
The leaders discussed the potential for closer collaboration in these areas when they met on the
sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit held in Bali last year.
Cooperation is expected to deliver mutual benefits in terms of economic growth, job creation and
innovation.
South Africa’s economic relations with Singapore are focused on trade, investment, tourism
promotion and skills transfer.
Singapore’s visit to South Africa continues the high-level engagement the two governments have
fostered since diplomatic relations began in 1993, ahead of South Africa’s democratic transition. 
Since then, the two countries have shared excellent bilateral relations, which have formed the basis
of regular high-level visits.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the
Republic of South Africa and the Republic of Singapore as partners who work closely together in
multinational fora.
Singapore, like South Africa, is a member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), the
Commonwealth, as well as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
The two countries have signed numerous agreements to enhance cooperation in areas such as
trade, investment, education, and defence.
Today’s high-level visit is preceded by an Official Visit undertaken by the Minister of International
Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, to Singapore in July 2022.
Singapore is a significant investor in South Africa, with investments totalling over R5 billion in sectors
such as manufacturing, financial services, and real estate.
One of the key areas of collaboration between South Africa and Singapore is trade. Singapore is one
of South Africa’s largest trading partners in Southeast Asia, with trade between the two countries
totalling approximately R28 billion in 2022.
South Africa exports a range of products to Singapore, including gold, diamonds, and wine, while
Singapore exports electronics, chemicals, and machinery to South Africa.