The emerging globalized economic order offers new opportunities as well as poses new challenges. In order to benefit from the opportunities and cope with the challenges, African businesses must be prepared to compete effectively and win market share.
Even though in the past five years Africa has recorded a fast and encouraging growth due to improved governance and policies, Africa still has not claimed its due place in the world trade scene as attested by the low share of world trade of 2 percent.
Africa’s economy comprises about one billion people and is largely rich in natural resources albeit the economy being among the weakest in the international economic scene. It possesses 40 percent of the hydro-electric potential of the globe yet its share per capita energy is the lowest in the world. Even though Africa’s historical past and its legacies are the root cause for the present difficulties, it is also true that the efforts made to develop the African nations during the past half century of independence has been weak due to internally induced and externally aggravated problems.
Reversing this insignificant trend through integrating the continent within and into the global economy remains a key challenge that needs to be addressed individually and collectively. This calls for a concerted effort in addressing the high costs of doing business due to corruption, ineffective bureaucracy, an uncertain legal environment, high taxes, high cost of capital, shortages of skilled labor and transport and security. Efforts must also be geared towards improving the negative image of Africa as an unfriendly environment for doing business.
The Chambers of Commerce in Africa individually and collectively have indispensable and critical role in addressing these challenges through private public dialogue. However, this presupposes the existence of strong Chambers of Commerce in Africa. Therefore, building the capacity of the Chambers of Commerce at all levels in Africa and empowering them is of utmost importance so they could play their much demanded role as true representatives of the private sector.
Building the capacity of the Chambers of Commerce at all levels in Africa and empowering them so that they can contribute to prosperous Africa is an overdue task. This conference strives to enhance the role of all African Chambers as true representatives of the private sector in their respective nations so that they discharge their much needed mandate and possibly form a more organized and strong continental chamber which serves as one platform, one voice, and has a common vision.
Recognizing the need for a stronger leadership for the African private sector, The Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations (ECCSA) took the initiative to organize an African Chambers of Commerce Conference under the theme “Private Sector: A venue for African Renaissance” the first of which took place on November 25 and 26, 2008 at UNECA Conference Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
African Chambers of Commerce conference of November 25-26, 2008
This first conference attracted business leaders from more than 30 countries worldwide and Chamber Representatives from 17 African countries. The purpose of the conference was to come up with a long standing continental effort to build the capacity of the Chambers of Commerce at all levels in Africa and empower them so that they can contribute to a prosperous Africa. This conference aimed to enhance the role of all African Chambers as representatives of the private sector in their respective nations and to set the groundwork to form a strong continental chamber that serves on one platform, as one voice, with a common vision.
Outcome:
The conference passed a resolution to organize an Extraordinary meeting of African Chambers within six months, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference also set up an Interim Committee representing 15 African chambers drawn from Northern, Eastern, Western, Southern and Central African regional blocks with clear mandate of organizing the Extraordinary Meeting. The Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (ECCSA) has been entrusted with the responsibility of hosting the Meeting. The Interim Committee (IC) would review the various past endeavors and the statute of the Federation of African Chambers signed in 2005 to come up with the proposal for the rebirth of a strong Pan African Chamber.
African Chambers of commerce conference II
In accordance with its mandate the Interim Committee-IC held its first meeting on April 4, 2009 at ECCSA’s conference hall in Addis Ababa. The meeting was attended by participants from all the five regions: Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western and Central Africa. The first IC Meeting discussed at length on pertinent issues and agreed on key preparatory activities of organizing a successful extraordinary meeting of African chambers to ensure the rebirth of the Pan African Chambers of Commerce.
The IC meeting fixed that the Extraordinary General Assembly meeting be held in July 6-7, 2009, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and also agreed to have another IC meeting on May 20-21, 2009 in Tripoli, Libya as a final preparation. The IC also discussed on possible amendments that could be made on the statute and agreed to consider it further and discuss again in the Libya meeting. They also entrusted the IC secretary to come up with budget estimates for the organization of the upcoming IC and GA meetings with the view to share responsibilities of mobilizing it timely.
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