Addis May Be Home to African Chambers of Commerce

July 6th, 2009 | EthioPolitics.com |

Fortune

By NEBIYU ASEFA

The Extraordinary General Assembly of the Federation of African Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture and Professions will decide whether Addis Abeba should be the seat of another continental organization, The African Chambers of Commerce.

This will be one of the major agenda items at the meeting that will open on Monday, July 6, 2009, here at the UN Conference Centre (UNCC).

The idea to relocate the headquarters to Addis Abeba first came up at the 2005 conference of the chamber in Cairo where the motion failed to receive enough support.

“This General Assembly is an opportunity to raise the issue about the permanent seat of the headquarters of the organization and possibly to suggest bringing it to Addis Abeba,” Getachew Ayenew, president of the Ethiopian Chambers of Commerce and Sectoral Associations (ECCSA) said at a press conference held on July 3, 2009.

Nigeria, South Africa, and Mozambique who were not members of the Union when it was signed in 2005, are pushing for the headquarters to be in Addis Abeba, according to Getachew.

Two previous attempts have been made to form a strong private sector organization in Africa but to no avail. In the years after its establishment the chamber did not succeed in achieving its goals. Inadequate communication and disorganization within the union were the main causes for its malfunction. The Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association believes that under the watch of the AU, it is possible to create a strong private sector organization with its headquarters in Addis.

42 African nations will participate in the General Assembly to be held on Monday and Tuesday. European, American and Asian private sector representatives will also be in attendance.

The ECCSA will host this convention with supports provided by the Ethiopian business community through sponsorship.

Along with the issue of relocating the headquarters, the General Assembly is expected to discuss strategies on how to establish a strong African Chambers of Commerce.

“The unification of Africa can’t only be political but it has to be economical as well,” Muluwork Kidanemariam, vice president of the ECCSA commented. This economical unification was unrealized due to the lack of participation from the private sector, according to the promoters of the idea.

“To help facilitate this, having a continental organization, an institution of private sectors through which all Africans can make their voices heard is a must,” Muluwork said.

In November 7 and 8, 2008, presidents of 17 African countries’ chambers of commerce met in Addis Abeba to address the long-term ineffectiveness of the Union. The leaders passed urgent decisions to call for a General Assembly after six months, to be organized by Ethiopia. An interim Committee consisting of 15 countries was also established to arrange the meeting.

The General Assembly is also expected to deliberate and pass decisions on the Charter and Code of Conduct of the federation and it will also discuss its long and short term plans.