Distinguished senior public sector officials from Singapore to learn from Dubai’s growth experience
A distinguished team of senior public sector officials from Singapore visited Dubai early this week as a part of an executive program to learn from Dubai’s impressive growth experience.
Participants of the Governance and Leadership Programme (GLP) of the Institute of Policy Development (IPD) from the Civil Service College of Singapore visited several companies within the Dubai World group during their three-day visit to the emirate.
The visit comes as a part of the GLP, which aims to allow delegates to witness first hand the developments that have taken place in the UAE and to provide a platform for them to network with their counterparts in Dubai. This visit comes right on the heels of a trip by a 35 strong delegation from Dubai World that visited Singapore as part of their Global Learning Journey under the Dubai Leaders Program. It signifies the importance of facilitating greater knowledge exchange and experiences between top management officials from Dubai World companies and Singapore.
This is the first time that participants have officially come from Singapore in order to learn from the emirates’ experiences. The visit provided participants with a chance to gain insights into governance via the conduit of various public policies and their developmental context in a city as vibrant as Dubai.
Mahmoud Saleh, Executive Director, Dubai World welcomed the group to Dubai and wished their visit all the success.
‘We are very honoured at the opportunity to host our colleagues from Singapore. This is an extension of the relationship fostered during our recent journey to Singapore as part of the Dubai Leaders Program, and we hope that this landmark visit will be the start of many learning journeys to Dubai World and Dubai as a whole.
‘We are very proud that the government of Singapore have identified Dubai World organizations such as Nakheel, DP World, JAFZA and Istithmar as having significant learning value to Singapore, and over the course of their visit they will assess the significance of developments Dubai World have undergone as lessons to broaden their leadership skills.’
Field visits covered numerous Dubai World companies such as JAFZA, DP World, Nakheel and Istithmar where participants met with decision makers and exchanged experiences regarding best practices and business strategy. Further visits will be held at various developmental projects such as the Palm Islands and the World in order to gain first hand insights and understand better the manner in which policies are implemented in a business making environment. In addition, the visit would enable participants to identify further opportunities for partnership and foster stronger relations with Dubai World executives.
Mr. Chan Heng Kee, Dean of the Civil Service College, and Deputy Secretary (Public Service Divison), Singapore, who is also leading the delegation said: ‘Through direct observations of Dubai World and Dubai, participants in the 5th GLP will be able to assess the significance of developments and better appreciate the opportunities presented in the UAE.
‘They would also have the chance to leverage on these opportunities to meet, exchange ideas and foster stronger relations with representatives from our hosts. Dubai offers us significant learning value and is of strategic interest to Singapore.’
Participants represent 31 different ministries and agencies in Singapore such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Construction, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Singapore Police Force and the Ministry of Defense amongst many others.
Dean Chan Heng Kee is leading his team of senior directors, which include Lim Ban Hoe, Consul General of Singapore to Dubai; Dr. Vineta Ajay Bhalla, Deputy Director, Biostatistics & Research, Ministry of Health; Dr Chiew King Tiong, Deputy Director, Veterinary Public Health, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore and Chin Chi Leong, Director, Manpower Development Division, Building and Construction Authority amongst many others.
