MFA Press Statement: Inaugural Study Visit by Deputy Ministers and Senior Officials from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 3 to 14 July 2017

           A senior delegation from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan will make an inaugural high-level study visit to Singapore from 3 to 14 July 2017 to attend a programme on “Strategic Leadership and Public Governance” conducted by the Civil Service College (CSC).  Led by the Afghanistan Ministry of Economy’s Deputy Minister for Technical Affairs Mohammad Ismail Rahimi, this will be the first high-level study visit from Afghanistan since the inception of the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) in 1992.  The 17-member delegation comprises three other Afghan Deputy Ministers, namely Deputy Minister of Irrigation Fahimullah Zaiyee, Deputy Minister of Women Affairs Nabila Musleh and Deputy Minister of Energy Amanullah Ghalib, as well as senior Afghan officials.

          This inaugural programme on “Strategic Leadership and Public Governance” comes under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Technical Cooperation between Singapore and Afghanistan signed during the visit of Afghanistan President His Excellency Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to Singapore on 7 April 2017.  Under the terms of the MOU, Afghanistan will send senior officials to Singapore to attend customised training programmes in areas such as public administration, civil service development, vocational training, urban planning and sustainable development.  This is part of Singapore’s commitment to continue playing a role in support of Afghanistan’s development through capacity-building programmes under the SCP.  Since the SCP’s inception in 1992, almost 700 Afghan officials have attended SCP programmes in areas such as public administration and governance. 

          In addition to attending briefings at the CSC, the delegation will make site visits to the HDB Hub and the URA Centre to learn about Singapore’s experience in providing affordable public housing and its approach to land-use planning.  The delegation will also visit Jurong Industrial Park and ITE College Central to study Singapore’s approach to industrial planning and development, and building up a skilled labour force.