JICA Alumni Association of Singapore

BACKGROUND

The beginning of JICA Alumni Association can be traced back to 1st June 1973 when a group of 70 pioneering ex-participants of JICA courses gathered at the Ming Court Hotel to discuss the formation of the Association with Mr Michimoto Goto, who was then Chief of OTCA (Overseas Technical Cooperation Agency). Thus on that day, OTCA Course Participants' Association came into existence. The first pro-tem committee consisted of:-

1. Chairman:. . . . . . . . Mr Yap Yoon Sin
2. Vice-Chairman:. . . . Mr Roche Goh Peng Wee
3. Treasurer:. . . . . . . . Tan Sock Tuan (Ms)
4. Secretary:. . . . . . . . Mr Lim Tong Soon

Committee:

• Mr Goh Hai Sun
  • Mr Ho Ker Yong
    • Mr Koh Leng Song
      • Mr Leong Chaw Chin
        • Mr Ramasamy Sundaresan
          • Mr Tan Woon Kiat
            • Mr Thambiah Anaimugam

With the establishment of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on 1st August 1974 which took over the functions of the then existing OTCA, the name of our Association was accordingly changed to JICA Course Participants' Association. The Association was officially registered on 2nd December 1974. It held its first Annual General Meeting on 10 March 1975 at the YMCA Auditorium, Orchard Road. It had several changes in its venue of meeting:-

• 1974 ~ 1977 ... Federation of Boys' Club, Kallang
• 1977 ~ 1978 ... Jalan Penjara
• 1979 ~ 1982 ... Orchard Towers
• 1982 ~ 2006 ... SEAMEO Regional Language Centre

Over the years since then, more than 4,000 Singaporeans have participated in JICA training programmes to upgrade themselves by learning from and with their counterparts in Japan. Many have returned with fond memories, not only of the improvements on their professionnal skills, but also of the personal friendship they have acquired during their training stint in Japan, both among their Japanese hosts as well as among other foreign participants.

To enhance the Association's image, steps were taken in 1994 to change the Association's name to JICA Alumni Association of Singapore.

In 1998, JICA considered Singapore as a developed country and stopped receiving trainees from Singapore and also stopped providing financial assistance to the Association.