The launch of the first pan-African chamber

The 2005 Congress helped to point the way for successful business development and profitable business support for reform in South Africa. The event was inaugurated with an address by South African President Thabo Mbeki and saw the launch of the first pan-African chamber of commerce, the Union of African Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture and Professions.

Rebuilding economies and business diversity

Three plenary sessions were held on the topics "Building good governance and strong institutions", "Rebuilding economies: the role of chambers" and "Who will be the new winners and losers in the global economy?"

During the opening ceremony of the Congress, ICC Chairman Yong Sung Park said: “ICC is well-known as a representative of business everywhere, and the chamber community provides a vital link to the network of small and medium-sized enterprises. Small and medium-sized enterprises are the lifeblood of all economies, in developed and developing countries alike. The future of the global economy depends on them.”

The Congress in Durban also featured lively workshop sessions on a variety of issues including women in chambers of commerce, achieving business diversity, chamber branding, chambers role in policy, Top 100 cities and public private partnerships. Other highlights of the three-day Congress included the highly successful 2nd edition of the World Chambers Competition, as well as a launch of the first pan-African chamber of commerce, creating a Union of African Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture and Professions.

Ubuntu

"Africans have a thing called Ubuntu: it is about the essence of being human, it is part of the gift that Africa is going to give the world. We believe that a person is a person through other persons; that my humanity is caught up, bound inextricably in yours. When I dehumanize you, I dehumanize myself. The solitary human being is a contradiction in terms, and therefore we seek to work for the common good, because your humanity comes into its own community belonging."
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Nobel Prize winner

Durban Chamber of Commerce & Industry

The Durban Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) was the host for this Congress. DCCI is the largest chamber of commerce and industry in South Africa with a membership of 4,500 businesses. The Chamber was established in 1856 and has promoted and protected the interests of business in this region over the 149 years of its existence.

For more information on DCCI:
Website: www.durbanchamber.co.za/