Ecuador President to make South American country’s first state visit to Singapore

SINGAPORE – Ecuador President Daniel Noboa Azin will be making a two-day state visit to Singapore, the first by a head of state from the South American country to the Republic.

The visit from Aug 23 to 24 comes at the invitation of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

“President Noboa’s visit reaffirms the warm ties between Singapore and Ecuador and provides an opportunity to discuss ways to deepen ties in areas such as agri-trade, logistics, and digitalisation,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Aug 23.

The Ecuadorian leader will call on President Tharman, who will host a state banquet in his counterpart’s honour.

He will also meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the visit, which will be an opportunity to reaffirm Singapore’s interest to deepen ties with Ecuador and the broader Latin American region.

Following the meeting, PM Wong and President Noboa will witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding on development cooperation by Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility Roberto Carlos Kury Pesantes.

The agreement will promote cooperation through capacity building and the exchange of information on best practices in education, leadership and governance, digitalisation, sustainability, public health, and trade and economy.

Singapore and Ecuador established diplomatic relations in September 1994, with bilateral trade in goods amounting to $248 million in 2025 and trade in services amounting to $578 million in 2024.

Imports to the city-state from Ecuador are largely in agri-commodities, while Singapore’s exports to the South American country are largely in advanced manufacturing.

Singapore companies with a physical presence in Ecuador include PSA Marine, which offers pilotage and boat services in the Guayaquil and Posorja ports.

Agri-business giant Olam Group’s food ingredients arm, ofi, operates in Ecuador’s cocoa supply chain, while Pacific International Lines had in 2025 set up its corporate office in Guayaquil city.

Prior to his trip here, Noboa, who was first elected president of Ecuador in 2023, was on an eight-day trip to China where he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. According to media reports, he is expected to visit Vietnam after Singapore.

Noboa will be accompanied on his visit to the Republic by Kury Pesantes, Minister of Economic and Productive Development Sariha Belen Moya Angulo, Minister of Environment and Energy Juan Carlos Damian Blum Baquero, and other senior Ecuadorian officials.