Toast by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the official lunch in honour of Jose Maria Neves, Prime Minister of the Republic of Cape Verde

Your Excellency, José Maria Neves
Prime Minister of the Republic of Cape Verde

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

1. I am honoured to welcome Your Excellency and your delegation on your first visit to Singapore.

2. At first glance, Cape Verde and Singapore appear very different. We are on opposite sides of the world, speak different languages and have different cultures. Yet we share some similarities. Like Singapore, Cape Verde is a small island state with almost no natural resources. You have thrived by developing your ports, and taking advantage of your strategic location at the crossroads of Africa, Europe and South America. You have embraced a market economy and developed your tourism and banking sectors. The results speak for themselves. Cape Verde has grown by more than five percent per annum over the last five years. Your people are well educated, and you are consistently ranked among the top five African countries in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance.

3. Our relations are warm and friendly. Singapore is especially grateful for Cape Verde’s steadfast support at the United Nations Forum of Small States (FOSS), which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. I am happy that your visit has injected fresh impetus to our bilateral cooperation. First, we will sign an Air Services Agreement which will enhance connectivity between our regions. Second, the Singapore Business Federation and the Cape Verde Investment Promotion Agency will sign an MOU on investment promotion to enhance business links with each other. These initiatives will strengthen our bilateral partnership.

4. We should not stop there. Africa is on the move. It is the second fastest growing region in the world, after Asia. There are more opportunities for Singapore companies to pursue in Africa, and vice versa. Platforms like the Africa Singapore Business Forum (ASBF) enable our businesses to explore these opportunities. I am glad that this year’s Forum was a success. Some 500 delegates and Ministers attended the Forum, including several from Cape Verde. During the Forum, the International Finance Cooperation (IFC) and International Enterprise Singapore signed an MOU to promote business collaboration between Singapore and Africa. Our companies can leverage the IFC’s wide networks and experience in Africa and Asia to grow our economic links and strengthen our positions as trading hubs within our respective regions.

5. We are also happy to help Cape Verde develop its human capital through the Singapore Cooperation Programme. We have so far trained more than 6,000 officials from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa in areas such as public administration, ICT, port management, health and aviation. We would be pleased to do the same for Cape Verde officials if you find it useful.

Your Excellency,

Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen

6. May I invite you to rise and join me in a toast:

• To the good health and success of His Excellency José Maria Neves;

• To the continued peace and prosperity of the people of Cape Verde; and

• To the continued friendship and goodwill between our two countries.