Africa-Singapore Partnership
An Invitation to the Africa-Singapore Partnership on Make in Africa
Join the Summit: Trade, Technology and Investment on Fair Terms
We invite Singapore’s businesses, investors and institutions to join Make in Africa, the pan-African movement to build more of what Africa uses and sells, in Africa. The Africa-Singapore Partnership sets out what a stronger relationship looks like: trade, investment and technology on fair terms. The Make in Africa Global Summit meets in Sandton, Johannesburg, in January 2027, in partnership with GSEF and WSSH Australia. We ask Singapore to bring capital, technology and markets, and to help repair the terms of trade.
Why This Partnership Matters
Make in Africa: Africa’s Collective Strength
Africa has the resources, a young population and, through the AfCFTA, a single continental market. Yet it still ships out raw materials and buys finished goods back, so the value, the jobs and the technology are made elsewhere. For the Africa-Singapore Partnership, the question is how Singapore can help change that, with port and logistics management, trade finance, standards and zone management. A fair partnership puts value back into Africa and gives Singaporean firms a stable, growing market in return. Make in Africa facilitates, introduces, guides and advocates. It works with governments, investors and companies who are ready to commit.
Mutual Benefits
What Singaporean Partners Gain from Make in Africa
Investment That Builds Capacity
Africa needs patient capital that builds factories, not only mines and ports. Singapore can put money where value is added: logistics, trade finance, digital services, light manufacturing and zone management. About 230 special economic zones operate in 43 African countries. The task is to connect them to finance, technology and buyers. Investors who commit to processing in Africa gain access to a growing continental market under the AfCFTA.
Access to a Continental Market
The AfCFTA is building a single market across African Union member states. A business that sets up in one country can supply many. For Singapore, that means one entry point to many African markets, and a base from which Singaporean firms can serve them. Make in Africa helps partners read that market: where demand is growing, which standards apply and how regional bodies such as ECOWAS, SADC, EAC and COMESA shape the rules.
Shared Technology and Skills
Singapore has real strength in port and logistics management, trade finance, standards and zone management. Joint ventures with African firms can turn that strength into African production. The best collaboration shares know-how, not only finished equipment: training, licences, repair capacity and joint research with African universities. Skills built in Africa stay in Africa and grow over time.
What Africa Asks of Singapore
Fair, Long-Term Finance
Africa pays too much to borrow. Risk is priced high, credit ratings are slow to reflect reality, and short loans do not suit factories that take years to build. We ask Singapore for long-term finance at fair prices, guarantees that lower the cost of capital, and debt restructuring or swaps that free public money for productive investment. Terms should be clear and open to scrutiny by African parliaments and citizens.
Market Access for Processed Goods
Many tariff systems charge little on raw materials and far more on processed goods. This is called tariff escalation, and it keeps processing offshore. Singapore is a hub for trade and shipping. We ask it to help African processed goods reach Asian buyers through clear standards and fair logistics terms. Standards matter as well. They should be applied honestly, with mutual recognition where possible and technical support so African producers can comply. Africa, in turn, must keep its own standards honest and its customs efficient.
Technology, Skills and Clean Flows
We ask Singapore to share technology and licences on workable terms, and to invest in skills, vocational training and research in Africa. Training should lead to jobs in African factories, not only to scholarships abroad. Illicit financial outflows drain Africa of money that should fund schools, roads and industry. Transfer pricing abuse and hidden ownership make it easier. We ask for shared information, open company ownership and cooperation to bring those outflows to an end. Make in Africa will keep score and publish who delivers.
What Singapore Can Bring to Make in Africa
Capital and Industrial Experience
Singapore brings expertise in port and zone management, trade facilitation, standards and skills training, and a financial centre that can channel capital to African firms. That experience is most useful in Africa when it is paired with local ownership, local suppliers and local jobs. We invite Singaporean firms and institutions to join working groups, share what has worked, and name where they can commit.
Trade That Adds Value
Singaporean buyers can help build African industry by choosing processed goods over raw ones and by signing long-term supply agreements with African producers. Sectors with the strongest case include logistics, trade finance, digital services, light manufacturing and zone management. Make in Africa introduces buyers to producers and to the regional bodies that set trade rules. Questions on certificates of origin go to the customs authority or chamber that issues them.
People, Research and Exchange
Partnership is also between people. Engineers, researchers, students and entrepreneurs from Singapore and Africa learn faster when they work side by side. We encourage exchanges, joint laboratories, apprenticeships and business visits that lead to real projects. Exchange should run both ways, with African expertise valued as much as it is shared. The Summit in January 2027 in Sandton, Johannesburg, is a place to meet the people who will make this happen.
A Fair Partnership: What It Looks Like in Practice
Honest Advice, Shared Experience
A fair partnership starts with honest advice. Singapore can share what it has learned about industrial planning, zones, logistics and quality control, including where things went wrong. African governments choose their own path. The best partners offer options and let them decide. Make in Africa policy frameworks set out proposals for African governments, regional bodies and partner countries for 2027 to 2035. They are proposals, not law.
Long-Term Commitments
Short projects rarely build industries. We look for commitments that run for years: purchase agreements, patient finance and training that outlast a political cycle. Fair terms mean shared value. Local content, local jobs, fair prices and a fair share of profit stay in the country where the work is done. Make in Africa will introduce partners to African governments, investors and companies who are ready to commit.
A Voice for Fair Terms
Singapore can use its voice in international institutions to support fair rules on debt, credit ratings, tariffs and standards. Today’s system still prices risk, credit, standards and tariffs in ways that keep processing offshore. We ask every major economy that trades with Africa to help repair the terms of trade. We invite Singapore to back that change in word and in practice. We build this movement in partnership with GSEF and WSSH Australia.
Join Us in Making More in Africa
The Make in Africa Global Summit is more than an event. It is a place to agree fair terms, sign long-term commitments and build industry in Africa. The Africa-Singapore Partnership is a vital part of that work, and your involvement will help make more of what Africa uses and sells, in Africa.
We look forward to welcoming you at the Make in Africa Global Summit in January 2027 and to building what comes next together.
Stay Updated with Us
Global Trade Council Partnerships
- Australia China Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry
- Australia India Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry
- Australia India Seafood Industry Council (AISIC)
- Australia India Free Trade and Seafood Industry Advisory Group (AIFTSIAG)
- Australia Qatar Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry
- Australia Saudi Arabia Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry
- Australia Turkiye Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry
- Australia UAE Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry
- Australia USA Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry
- Australia Singapore Chamber of Trade, Commerce, and Industry
Economic Forum 2026
Membership
Policies
- Semiconductor Fabless Policy 2027-2035
- Data Centre Policy 2027-2035
- Information Technology Policy 2027-2035
- Multimodal Logistics Policy 2027-2035
- BPO and Global Capability Centre (GCC) Policy 2027-2035
- New and Renewable Energy Policy 2027-2035
- Biotechnology Policy 2027-2035
- Pharmaceuticals Policy 2027-2035
- DeepTech, AI, and Data Centre Policy 2027-2035
- Electronics Policy 2027-2035
- Export Development Policy 2027-2035
- MedTech Policy 2027-2035
- Film and Media Policy 2027-2035
- FinTech Policy 2027-2035
- EdTech Policy 2027-2035
- Events and Tourism Policy 2027-2035
- Apparel and Technical Textiles Policy 2027-2035
- Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing Policy 2027-2035
- Fisheries Policy 2027-2035
- Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Policy 2027-2035
- MIAGS Startup Policy 2027-2035
- MIAGS Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Manufacturing Policy 2027-2035
Advocacy
Resources & News
Contact Us
Governing Councils
- Business Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Council
- Digital Transformation and Innovation Council
- Export and International Trade Council
- Finance and Investment Council
- Infrastructure and Real Estate Development Council
- Intellectual Property and Innovation Council
- Logistics and Supply Chain Optimization Council
- Sustainability and Climate Action Council
- Transport and Connectivity Council
- Urban Infrastructure and Housing Council
- Workforce Development and Skilling Council
- Public Utilities and Civic Services Council
- Governance and Transparency Council
- Agriculture and Food Processing Expert Committee
- Banking, Financial Services & Insurance Committee
- Mediation, Arbitration and Conciliation Committee
- Climate Change and Disaster Resilience Committee
- Corporate Governance Committee
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee
- Digitalisation Committee
- Direct Tax Committee
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee
- Economic Policy, Research & Development Committee
- EdTech and Skill Development Committee
- Energy and Infrastructure Committee
- Human Resources Management Committee
- Indirect Tax Committee
- International Trade & Commerce Committee
- Legal Affairs & Intellectual Property Rights Committee
- Media, Entertainment, and Content Creation Committee
- MSME Growth and Advocacy Forum
- Private Equity & Venture Capital Committee
- Renewable Energy and Green Technology Committee
- Shipping & Logistics Committee
- Startups & Entrepreneurship Committee
- Sustainability & ESG Committee
- Tourism, Hospitality, and Events Committee
- Women in Business & Leadership Committee
- Young Leaders Forum
- Healthcare and Wellness Committee
- Government Relations and Development Advocacy Committee
About
The Make In Africa Global Summit (MIAGS) is a global platform connecting leaders, businesses, investors, institutions and policymakers shaping the next era of economic growth across the Global South and Africa.
MIAGS advances South–South cooperation, trade, investment, industrialization, technology, infrastructure and economic resilience, creating platforms for dialogue, strategic partnerships and cross-border opportunities.
Our mission is to strengthen the Global South and Africa’s role in the global economy by connecting capital with opportunity, innovation with markets and economic priorities with action—while fostering a more connected, productive and influential economic future.