Minister (FA) Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Remarks at Meeting with African Group Permanent Representatives, Monday, 28 September 2026, 3.00pm

Excellencies

·      Thank you for meeting me after an intense High-Level Week.

o   I have had productive meetings with some of your ministers over the past week.

·      But I am glad we are able to meet separately as a group. I would like to take this chance to share Singapore’s vision for our engagement with Africa.

Singapore’s longstanding relationship with Africa

·      Singapore’s engagement with Africa predates our independence in 1965.

o   In 1964, our then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew travelled through Africa, visiting 17 countries over 35 days. His purpose was practical: to understand developments in Africa and make new friends.   

·      It was a formative period for both Africa and Singapore. Many of us were colonies or newly independent states.

o   We were confronting the same fundamental questions: how to secure our sovereignty, build viable states, develop our economies, and exercise agency in an international system dominated by much larger powers.

·      We therefore found ourselves working together in fora such as the Non-Aligned Movement, the G77, and for some of us, the Commonwealth.

o   When Singapore hosted the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 1971, many of the pioneering generation of African leaders came to Singapore – including Mr Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Mr Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, and Sir Seretse Khama of Botswana.

·      All these early encounters laid the foundations for trusted relationships that have endured over decades.

o   They fostered a deeper understanding of the challenges and circumstances that each of us faces.

From political solidarity to practical cooperation

·      Over time, our relationship broadened from political solidarity to practical cooperation.

o   In 1993, a group of young African leaders brought together by General Olusegun Obasanjo travelled to Singapore to study our experience in development.

o   Mr Lee was careful not to present Singapore’s development as a model. He recognised that our circumstances were different. Instead, he asked them, “What is relevant in the Singapore experience to Africa?”

·      That remains Singapore’s approach today.

o   Africa comprises states with very different histories, institutions, resources, and development priorities.

o   We share our experiences – including what worked and what did not – and leave our partners to decide what is relevant.

·      This has been the basis of the Singapore Cooperation Programme. More than 14,000 African officials have participated in its courses over the years.

o   Last November, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong launched our dedicated technical cooperation package for Africa – the Singapore-Africa Partnership Leading to Growth and Sustainability, or SAPLINGS.

§  It offers executive education programmes, postgraduate scholarships, and customised study visits tailored to each country’s specific needs.

§  It is open to African officials as well as those from the African Union.

o   This is a two-way exchange of mutual learning. More importantly, it is an opportunity to build relationships among our officials at all levels.

Expanding cooperation bilaterally and regionally

·      Singapore is committed to doing more with Africa, and to backing that commitment with concrete action.

o   As Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced last year, Singapore will be opening a Mission in Addis Ababa.

§  This will allow us to engage the AU and its members more systematically, consistently, and deeply.

§  This is just a first step, but it is an important one.

·      Our ties are broadening across the continent. We are strengthening longstanding partnerships and exploring new opportunities in areas ranging from trade and investment, connectivity, and sustainability.

o   Bilateral trade between Singapore and Africa grew by over 50% between 2020 and 2024, from S$12.1 billion to S$18.7 billion.

o   Singapore companies today operate across a range of African markets and sectors, including agribusiness and commodities, logistics, urban solutions, and sustainability.

§  Names like Wilmar, Olam, Indorama, and Tolaram are familiar to some of you. They have a large presence in Africa and have made substantial investments.

§  The Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory is working with Egypt to develop climate-resilient rice varieties.

§  In Côte d’Ivoire, Valency International and Revata Carbon have built Africa’s first large-scale plant turning cashew waste into biochar, which can improve soil quality.

§  Singapore has also signed Implementation Agreements with Ghana and Rwanda under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to channel financing into carbon mitigation projects. We hope to sign many more.

o   These are win-win collaborations.

o   Singapore’s investments and projects lead to better food security and climate outcomes for both sides. They also create jobs, build local capabilities, and contribute to sustainable economic growth for our partners.

o   We cooperate on the tech front, too.

§  Our companies collaborated with the Democratic Republic of Congo on its digital ID system DRCPass, and with Kenya on its National Electronic Single Window System.

§  Singapore’s Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) has also partnered with Ghana, Rwanda and Namibia on digital payments and fintech regulation.

·      We also want to build stronger links between our regions.

o   Southeast Asia and Africa are among the fastest-growing regions.

o   Regional integration is an important source of growth.

§  We have the ASEAN Free Trade Area.

§  Africa has the African Continental Free Trade Area alongside long-standing regional economic communities like the East African Community, Southern African Customs Union, and ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States).

o   Bringing Africa and Southeast Asia closer together could unlock significant new opportunities for our people and businesses.

§  Singapore can serve as a hub for regional engagement, while Africa's connectivity with the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Europe offers wider opportunities to strengthen trade, investment and supply-chain linkages across continents.

§  In 2023, Singapore was the 8^th largest investor in Africa with US$20 billion in FDI stock.

o   These inter-regional linkages will enhance our collective economic resilience and reinforce the framework of international trade. This is increasingly important as the global trading system comes under strain.

o   Singapore intends to use our Chairmanship of ASEAN next year to promote stronger economic, political, and people-to-people ties between Southeast Asia and Africa.

A common stake in sovereignty and multilateralism

·      Underlying all this is a deeper convergence of interests.

o   We share the view that a rules-based international order is essential to the security and prosperity of all states, regardless of size or geography.

·      Individually, many of us are price-takers. But by upholding common rules and supporting institutions, we can create predictability, moderate the exercise of power, and ensure that sovereign equality remains the cornerstone of interstate relations.

·      This is why Singapore supports a UN that is representative and remains fit-for-purpose.

o   This includes reform of the Security Council. Singapore has consistently supported reform that better reflects current geopolitical realities and the diversity of the UN membership, including by addressing the historical under-representation of Africa. A more representative Council would strengthen its legitimacy and accountability, while enhancing its ability to respond effectively to contemporary challenges.

·      It is also why we share a steadfast commitment to the rule of law, especially when we need to manage differences. A world in which “might makes right” leaves all states vulnerable.

o   African jurists have been steadfast custodians of international law, having served as multiple Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and serving as members of the International Law Commission.

o   Singapore’s Centre for International Law was pleased to be a strategic partner of the African Institute of International Law for the 2026 Kilimanjaro Summer Academy on African Union Law and the Public Law of Africa.

·      We hope to continue working together to protect and strengthen the rules-based multilateral system, including to uphold the importance of diversity and representation. In an era of disruption, we must hold fast to the institutions and principles that have formed the basis of peace and stability.

 Singapore’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) candidature

·      One of these institutions is the ICJ.

·      The Court today has the fullest docket in its history. At precisely the moment when some question the relevance of international law, states continue to bring their most serious disputes before the Court. This demonstrates continuing trust in the ICJ and its function. We must safeguard that trust and support the work of the ICJ.

·      In this spirit, Singapore has decided to nominate our first-ever candidate to be a Judge of the Court for the 2027 – 2036 term, Ambassador for International Law Rena Lee. Elections will be held on 3 November.

·      This is also not a decision we take lightly. Singapore puts forward few candidates for UN positions. We do so only when we believe we can make a constructive contribution, and have a qualified candidate.

·      Ambassador Lee has the expertise, integrity, and temperament required to be an ICJ Judge. She presided over the BBNJ Intergovernmental Conference, which led to the adoption of the Agreement by consensus – a rarity in the UN these days. The Agreement entered into force earlier this year. She has served three decades as a government legal adviser, diplomat, and international negotiator. She therefore has the practical abilities and the perspective to contribute to the ICJ bench.

·      I deeply appreciate the support that many of you have expressed. We do not take this for granted. If elected, Ambassador Lee would enhance the diversity of perspectives on the bench and contribute to the continued work of the ICJ as the UN’s principal judicial organ. 

·      For those of you who have yet to decide, I hope you will give our candidature your serious consideration.

Conclusion

Excellencies,

·      62 years have passed since Mr Lee Kuan Yew made that formative journey across Africa.

·      Much has changed. But Singapore and Africa once again find ourselves navigating many of the same pressures – geopolitical contestation, economic fragmentation, and an uncertain international environment.

·      Our response must be to deepen our partnerships, uphold the UN Charter and international law, and support an open and rules-based global trading system.

·      We will not agree on every issue. But we will engage constructively, identify where our interests converge, and build practical partnerships that benefit our peoples.

·      I look forward to what we can achieve together.

·      Thank you.

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