Perks and pitfalls of Public Private Partnerships are focus of Commonwealth training

The pros and cons of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) have been the focus of an eight-day programme held in Singapore for senior government officials from 18 Commonwealth countries.

Participants at the meeting, which draws to a close today, have discussed how to adopt a successful PPP approach when implementing infrastructure projects, such as power plants and schools, in their respective countries.

They have also looked at organisation structures, effective regulation, relevant legislation and risk management techniques needed to ensure a well designed PPP project. Participants also went on site visits to successful PPP set-ups in Singapore, including Ulu Pandan PPP NEWater Plant and the SingSpring Water Treatment Project.

Speaking at the start of the programme, Jimmy Chua, Senior Deputy Director at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told participants: “I am confident that by the end of the course, you will be able to take back key points from the perspectives of both Singapore and the Commonwealth Secretariat that would be relevant or could be adapted to your country’s specific needs.”

Hee Kong Yong, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Adviser on PPPs, said: “This programme is very timely, as governments look to the private sector to provide the funding and technical know-how to accelerate infrastructure development in their countries following the Global Financial Crisis.”

Edmund Koroma, Financial Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Sierra Leone, said: “The presentations were all well thought out and instructive, coming from professionals in their fields. This programme was a good introduction to the theories and applications to PPPs, and provided a useful guide for a country attempting PPPs for sustainable growth and development to fulfil both infrastructure and funding gaps.”

The Secretariat’s work in this area focuses on four key areas:

- Conducting pan-Commonwealth PPP leadership programmes, of which this current programme in Singapore is one.

- Organising in-country PPP workshops for PPP policy-makers and practitioners from both the public and private sectors.

- Conducting advisory missions to provide specific assistance to individual countries.

- Encouraging Commonwealth countries to showcase their potential PPP projects to investors in the global marketplace.

This programme, running from 31 August to 9 September, was jointly organised by the Secretariat and Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Key Links:

• Country Profile: Singapore
• Our work: Public Sector Development