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Centre for Liveable Cities Knowledge Hub
Articles

Singapore Cooperation Programme – Sustainable Financing of Cities

30 March 2026

The Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) recently concluded a capability development course under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) on Sustainable Financing of Cities in late February, welcoming fellow government officials from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific region.

Group Photo of fellow government officials from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific region who participated for the course

Building Capacity for Sustainable Urban Finance

Organised under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Singapore Cooperation Programme Training Award (SCPTA), this course aimed to equip participants with practical knowledge in sustainable urban infrastructure financing by taking a holistic approach that considers pertinent and inter-linked issues – in particular Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues. This course presented diverse perspectives from Singapore government agencies, industry experts, banks and financial institutions such as Infrastructure Asia, International Financial Corporation and the World Bank Group.

Key Learning Areas and Practical Applications

The curriculum covered essential concepts from CLC's Liveability Framework, sustainable financing approaches, and sectoral case studies from Singapore and international cities. Additional topics included urban governance, national frameworks for Public-Private Partnerships, credit ratings of cities, structuring project finance for success, and enhancing project bankability. Participants also heard from industry practitioners, domain experts, and government agencies, facilitating knowledge exchange on financing urban initiatives.

Photo of CLC Executive Fellow, Michael Koh, presentation on “Overview of Urban Governance”

Presentation on “Overview of Urban Governance” by Mr Michael Koh, Executive Fellow, Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development

To complement classroom learning, participants visited the Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm, Keppel Seghers Tuas Waste-to-Energy Plant, and the Singapore City Gallery.

Group photo fo the participants on a learning journey to Keppel Seghers Tuas Waste to Energy Plant

Learning journey to Keppel Seghers Tuas Waste to Energy Plant

The course concluded with participants presenting their city action plans and strategies, demonstrating how they would apply their learning to address urban challenges in their respective contexts.

Photo of Hugh Lim, Executive Director, Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development providing feedback on participants' presentations

Mr Hugh Lim, Executive Director, Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development providing feedback on participants' presentations

Participants’ Reflections

Group photo of participants of the course

Hear from course participants:

Thank you for an amazing experience.
— Mr Raman Tom Farmar, Chief Administrator, Freetown City Council, Freetown, Sierra Leone
The course was highly informative, well-structured, and relevant to current urban governance challenges. The integration of financial, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development was particularly commendable. The practical examples and interactive discussions enhanced understanding and applicability to administrative functions. Overall, the course significantly contributed to enhancing strategic and sustainable urban management capacity.
— Mr Abid Qamar, Assistant Commissioner, Government of Sindh, Pakistan
The course was insightful and well organised, with valuable real-world examples. Including more hands-on exercises and peer exchange sessions would make it even more impactful.
— Mr Azat Ghavalyan, Head Specialist, Yerevan Municipality, Armenia
Everything is perfect, the trip sites are so precious, the lectures are amazing, the committee teamwork is outstanding and also nice accommodations near to MRT and bus access. Thank you SCP, MFA and CLC for the amazing course for us.
— Mrs Elsa Risfadona, Head of Development Administration, Pontianak City Government (Pemkot Pontianak), Indonesia

Looking Forward

Having curated four runs of this course for over 100 participants, CLC continues to build our global network of urban practitioners equipped with sustainable financing knowledge. It is through continued knowledge sharing with a focus on practical applications that we can contribute to building liveable and sustainable cites for all.

This course was made possible through partnerships with various agencies and organisations who shared their expertise with participants. We look forward to continuing our collaborations through future courses for urban practitioners in Singapore and beyond.

Contributed by Ong Wan Ting, Assistant Director, Capability Development

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