Singapore launches new agency to export public services

Singapore's Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Tuesday officially launched the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) to export public services.

Singapore's public sector has accumulated enough expertise in formulating policies to build up a First World economy in the last 40 years, said Goh.

Singapore continues to receive several requests to learn and study Singapore's experience. Just over the past three years, nearly 100 requests have been received, according to the SCE.

Formed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May this year to serve the needs of countries wanting to know more about Singapore's success, the SCE taps on Singapore's wealth of experience in public sector development.

"By sharing what we have learnt, we hope that other countries can shorten their learning curve, travel faster in their development path and uplift the lives of their people," said Goh, adding that "This way we build connections with foreign governments, generate goodwill and enhance bilateral cooperation."

For a start, it focuses on the Middle East and China, and later India and Southeast Asia. It has inked at least five collaboration deals with foreign partners to date, said the SCE.

For its first project in July this year, the SCE collaborated with Singapore Polytechnic International and Institute of Technical Education to offer a one-month training program for 53 vocational teachers from Weihai in China's Shandong Province.

The SCE has also been sharing the country's public sector expertise in sectors spanning education services to leisure parks development and operations.

Source: Xinhua