Address by Min(EST) Tan See Leng at the Opening of Singapore Business Federation’s Singapore Enterprise Centre (SEC)@Dubai, UAE

Chairman of the Dubai Chambers of Commerce

His Excellency Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori

Ambassador of Singapore to the United Arab Emirates

His Excellency Kamal R Vaswani

Consul-General of Singapore to the United Arab Emirates

Mr Raziff Aljunied

Chairman of the Singapore Business Federation,

Mr. Teo Siong Seng

Distinguished Guests,

Introduction

1.     Good morning.

2.     It is a great pleasure to be here to celebrate the opening of Singapore Enterprise Centre (SEC) in Dubai.

3.     Today, we gather not just to unveil a plaque, but what we are here to do is the singular purpose of widening the corridors of opportunity between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore.

4.         Both the UAE and Singapore found our footing through trade.

5.         In an era where supply chains are fracturing and trade routes shift like desert sands, it is important, and all the more crucial, that Singapore work with like-minded partners who believe in the core principles of free flow of trade, free flow of capital, talent and people.

6.         The UAE is a gateway to the Middle East and Africa. Similarly, Singapore is also a trusted gateway to ASEAN and the entire Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. This, ladies and gentlemen, creates a very powerful nexus between both our countries.

a.    In 2024, our bilateral trade in goods amounted to S$24 billion, while our trade in services reached $12.8 billion in 2023. The latter category, in services, showed strong growth of 22% year-on-year in 2023, with Singapore firms exporting services primarily in the transport and financial sectors.

b.    Singapore’s investments into the UAE grew 13% year-on-year to S$4.9 billion in 2023. There are approximately 200 Singapore firms operating across a wide range of sectors in the UAE, from infrastructure, logistics, energy, to financial services.  

c.    UAE’s investments into Singapore have done even better, growing 83% year-on-year to S$10.7 billion in 2023. UAE giants such as ADNOC and its national banks have representative offices and operations in Singapore.

7.         These numbers paint a vivid picture of a strong and growing economic partnership between our two countries and it’s one that builds upon the growth in both our regions.

8.         Singapore firms are also keen to seek out growth opportunities in the UAE.

9.         For example, the UAE’s continued drive to diversify its economy and to invest in emerging industries is opening new frontiers in areas such as:

a.    The green economy,

b.    advanced manufacturing,

c.    food and agritech, and

d.    biotech and pharma.

10.      The Singapore Enterprise Centre in Dubai plays a key role to support Singapore companies’ entry into the UAE.

11.      So, you can see that for most of you here, trade and investments do not occur by chance. Sometimes they do occur by chance if you are extremely lucky, but I can assure you that they do not occur in a vacuum. It ultimately starts with connections and networks, both at the company and at the individual level.

12.      Growing interest from Singapore companies in the Middle East prompted the Singapore Business Federation to establish an SEC in Dubai under GlobalConnect@SBF, in partnership with Enterprise Singapore.

13.      This is the Singapore Business Federation’s 5^th overseas centre[1] and its first in the Middle East.

14.      This new SEC will serve as an additional touchpoint for Singaporean companies, beyond Enterprise Singapore’s existing Overseas Centre in the UAE.

15.      Together, the SEC and Enterprise Singapore can tap companies’ expertise and navigate the UAE’s dynamic business environment and better access new growth opportunities.

16.      But this, ladies and gentlemen, is not a one-way street.

17.      We also hope our friends and partners here in the UAE will see this as an open door to collaborate with Singapore enterprises, tap into their expertise, and jointly explore opportunities not only in the UAE and Singapore, but across the Middle East, Africa and Asia regions.

18.      I call and I urge Singaporean businesses to be bold and leverage the SEC@Dubai as a springboard for regional expansion. 

19.      By investing in building local capabilities and forging long-lasting partnerships with our UAE colleagues and partners, our companies can unlock new avenues for growth and I am confident that the SEC@Dubai will serve as a catalyst for growth, innovation, and collaboration that will ultimately benefit businesses and communities in both our nations.

20.      So once again I exhort all of you, let us seize this opportunity to build a better and brighter future together. Thank you.

[1] Other SBF SECs are operating in Indonesia (Jakarta), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City), Thailand (Bangkok), and India (Bengaluru, newly opened on 13 November 2025)