By Ernest Nutsugah
Accra, July 24, GNA – The Regional Director for Enterprise Singapore, West Africa, Ms Jean Ng, has announced plans to set up a Singapore-branded supermarket and online e-commerce mall in Ghana by the fourth quarter of 2023.
She said the initiative, which would be done in collaboration with a Singaporean company, Vega, Maxmart supermarket and e-commerce platform, Jumia, would bring over 50 Singapore brands to Ghana.
That, she said was to also create employment for Ghanaians, especially the youth and create an enabling environment for more partnerships between Ghanaian and Singaporean companies for increased trade.
Speaking at a media briefing on Singapore’s economic partnership with West Africa, via zoom, she said CFO Group and allied institutions would also set up a hub to provide training for Ghanaian developers in the Built Environment Sector.
The training modules, which would be done in in partnership with Ghanaian Company, Merchants Company of West Africa (MECOWA), she explained, would be aimed at promoting technology transfer in green building solutions.
“From our keen interaction with industry leaders in the building and construction space, we have noticed that there has been general increase in awareness, and they want to incorporate the green agenda in commercial developments in the region,” she said.
Ms Jean Ng said Enterprise Singapore recently facilitated business matching, leading to the signing of a two-year distributorship agreement between Rigel and Water Comfort, for distribution of bathroom sanitary wares in Ghana.
With the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) being implemented, she said Enterprise Singapore would continue to seek collaboration in economic diversification and trade, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), processing and manufacturing.
Ms Jean Ng, who announced details of an upcoming Africa Singapore Business Forum (ASBF) scheduled for August 29 – 31, 2023, said her outfit was working to drive private sector business collaborations on the continent.
This year’s edition is themed: “Driving Africa’s Growth through Digitalisation, Manufacturing and Sustainability”.
Launched in 2010, ASBF has since brought together over 5,000 thought leaders to discuss Africa-centric business and investment issues.
Mr Ragul Ghosh, the Sub-Saharan Africa Director for Enterprise Singapore, said Asia and Africa had similar development trajectory, therefore, the expertise of Singaporean companies was relevant to companies in Africa.
He said trade between Africa and Asia had been steady over the years, adding that with more partnerships, companies in Africa would be able to “deploy their solutions in Asia and use Singapore as a gateway to the Asian market.”
Enterprise Singapore, the government agency championing trade between Africa and Singapore and connecting Africa to the Asian market, has established three overseas Centres in Africa.
The Centres, which are in Ghana, South Africa and Kenya, are to facilitate partnerships between Africa and Singapore through engagement with both government authorities and private sector players.
The effort is to generate a pipeline of trade and investment opportunities by building business networks and connecting African companies with relevant Singapore partners.
There are more than 100 Singaporean companies operating across 50 countries, including Ghana, in various sectors such as oil and gas, fast moving consumer good, and agribusiness.
GNA