IDA International to provide technical assistance to Brazil

Agreement sealed with the Brazilian Seaport Authority on ICT initiatives

Brazil and Singapore strengthened their alliance today with the signing of a Technical Assistance Agreement between IDA International and Secretaria de Portos (SEP).  SEP is Brazil’s federal seaport authority responsible for policy formulation and implementation of measures, programmes and projects to support the development of seaport infrastructure in Brazil.

The Agreement comes after preliminary discussions in 2010 amongst three parties - SEP, International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and IDA International, and recommendations made by IDA International to develop an integrated system to support Brazil’s seaport industry.  This initiative arose from Brazil’s interest in Singapore given its position as one of the world’s busiest ports and 2nd in World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index 2010.

Under the scope of the Agreement, both parties will collaborate in projects to boost Brazil’s seaport activities and enhance its global competitiveness. This includes the development of an ICT system to support Brazil’s existing Cabotage activities.  Cabotage refers to the transport of cargo between ports or cities in Brazilian territory, using the sea or inland waterway. Under the agreement, IDA International will analyse its feasibility, and recommend policies and systems required to implement a paperless cabotage system in Brazil.

The Agreement was signed by Mr. Leônidas Cristino, Minister of Ports of Brazil
and Mr. Seah Chin Siong, CEO of IDA International, in the presence of representatives from IE Singapore, IDA International, and Ambassador Luís Fernando Serra, Ambassador of Brazil to Singapore.

“This is a significant milestone for Brazil.  We are pleased to be able to work with IDA International and to learn from Singapore so that we can further enhance our competitiveness through the use of ICT in our seaports,” said Mr. Cristino.  Sharing this sentiment, Mr. Seah added, “IDA International is happy to share Singapore’s ICT knowledge and experience in the area of seaport management.  We see this as a significant step towards establishing a long-term and fruitful partnership with Brazil.” 

Said Mr. Teo Eng Cheong, CEO of IE Singapore, “An efficient cabotage system can address time and costs issues related to logistics. We are happy that Singapore companies have the necessary experience and expertise in this area to share with Brazil. We hope this will further enhance its port operations and lead to more partnerships.”

Work on the Cabotage project is expected to start by the end of this year.  

About IDA International
IDA International serves as the execution arm for all collaborations on public service infocomm between Singapore and governments around the world.  It does this through its team of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) professionals who have extensive experience in delivering Singapore’s brand of eGovernment solutions to countries around the world. 

IDA International focuses on delivering public service transformation by providing services such as eGovernment consultancy, public sector ICT masterplanning, national infocomm planning, industry and cluster development, and management of public service infocomm programmes to other countries.  Beyond Asia, some of the regions in which IDA International is currently collaborating with include the Middle East, South Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Please visit www.idainternational.sg for more information on IDA International.

International Enterprise Singapore
International Enterprise (IE) Singapore is the government agency driving Singapore’s external economy. We spearhead the overseas growth of Singapore-based companies and promote international trade.

We partner Singapore-based companies in their international expansion through our “3C” framework of assistance (Connections, Competency and Capital), and through our global network in over 35 locations spanning many emerging markets.

We also anchor global trading companies in Singapore and position the country as a base to expand into the region in partnership with Singapore-based companies.

Visit www.iesingapore.com for more information.

Note to Editor 
Please use the name IDA International in full.    

Issued by IDA International. 

For media enquiries and interviews, please contact:
Christine TAN (Ms)
Corporate Marketing and Communication
Email: christine.tan@idainternational.sg
Telephone: +65 6211 0473