Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu wrapped up his four-day official visit to Singapore, aimed at attracting investments, and returned home signing an MoU with global tech giant Google. As part of it, Google would establish in Vizag, its largest data centre in Asia. The tour’s mainstay is to enhance Andhra Pradesh’s global image by restoring credibility.
Naidu, accompanied by ministers Nara Lokesh, TG Bharath, P Narayana and some senior officials, held 26 high-level meetings including roundtable discussions and visits to key infra projects. He and his entourage focused on restoring cordial ties with Singapore and exploring opportunities for collaboration in urban development, information technology and trade. Naidu held discussion with the representatives of various reputed educational institutions and briefed them about the potential and opportunities for investing in the state.
In a significant development, CapitaLand Investors Sanjeev Das Gupta and Gowrishankar Nagabhushanam, having a strong presence in Hyderabad, expressed interest to expand their firm into Amaravati and Tirupati. The Mandai Wildlife Group also showed intent to invest in eco-tourism projects in AP.
Barclay also expressed interest in investing in the wildlife experience zones and biodiversity complexes. Japan-based SMBC expressed interest in finance, infra lending and extending finances for clean energy in AP. Temasek Holdings chief Dinesh Khanna was open to expanding infrastructure development in food processing, healthcare, technology and sustainable infrastructure.
The Andhra Pradesh government signed a landmark agreement with YouTube and Tezaract SA Inc. to establish a Creator Academy in the state. According to the MoU, Google would support the project with curriculum, technology and expertise.
Introducing the P4 initiative — Public-Private-People Partnerships, in which affluent individuals mentor underprivileged citizens, he invited investors in various sectors including IT parks, work stations, wildlife parks, ecotourism, biodiversity complexes, wildlife experience zones, finance and infra projects, clean energy financing and green energy.
Businessmen and officials in Singapore hailed Naidu’s Vision-2047 and promised to study the feasibility of investing in various sectors in Andhra Pradesh. Throughout the tour, Naidu pitched Vizag as the future growth centre of AP. He listed out various sectors like data centres, AI, aerospace, drone technology.
He invited the Singapore government and investors to attend the Global Investors’ Summit in Vizag scheduled this November. The CM met the Telugu diaspora members at the One World International School Digital campus in Singapore and announced his plans to launch a Global Export-Import Cell for the three million non-resident Telugu population across the world.
IT minister Nara Lokesh mooted setting up a semiconductor unit in AP with Singapore’s technical and strategic guidance. Lokesh said that the CM’s tour to Singapore was a grand success with MoUs worth Rs 45,000 crore signed with the Government of Singapore and the Singapore Investment Corporation, committed to invest in AP over the next five years.
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