CII signs MoU with Singapore trade and business agencies

In a first between Indian and Singapore business institutions, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has signeda Technology Partnership MoU with two Singapore agencies to promote expertise in expanding businesses.
The MoU was signed yesterday with International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), a first between Indian and Singapore business institutions.
Underlining the MoU importance, the High Commissioner Jawed Ashraf called it "a step in the right direction" to building a stronger partnership for expanding businesses.
"We must build a roadmap for building businesses," he said.
"We have even bigger task for CII, IE Singapore, SBF and others," he said, calling for more MoUs with other business and trade institutions here.

These MoUs would "help build platforms to forge partnerships that connect our small enterprises and startups," said Ashraf, calling on Indian enterprises to use Singapore as a gateway to the Asean markets of 600 million people.

He also called on Singapore-based businesses to develop greater sense of adventure to reach out to the Indian market of 1.3 billion.
The High Commissioner said a number of business programmes were being planned for this year including one conference with the Indian business community in Asean to be held in Singapore later this year.
"Among others, we are going to work with SBF and do a conversation with Indian cities because urbanisation is going to be our biggest challenge and biggest engine of our progress in the coming months," he told some 300 business leaders from India and Singapore at the dialogue.

Commenting on the first technology MoU, a senior executive at IE Singapore said more such partnership promoting events with India were expected in the coming months, especially from the educational institutions and Universities.
"We expect such MoUs between other institutions, especially educational and Universities," said Benjamin Yap, group director for North and South Asia at IE Singapore, which promotes bilateral businesses between Singapore and international markets.