Ghana spearheads ICC
expansion in Africa.
Paris, 5
August 1999 - Inauguration
of a national committee of the International Chamber of Commerce in Ghana heralds
a pan-African expansion of ICC on the African continent. The world business
organization is already playing a crucial role in encouraging foreign investment
in Africa.
Business communities in
several other African countries are in line to join ICC, which has been conducting
an intensive awareness drive in the continent. The message to African business
is: "Work through us to integrate African business in the world economy for
the benefit of the peoples of Africa."
Final formalities for the
creation of ICC Nigeria, ICC Uganda and ICC Zimbabwe are nearing completion.
African countries where ICC national committees already exist are Burkina Faso,
Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Togo and Tunisia.
Creation of ICC Ghana came
only a few weeks before ICC and a group of leading multinational companies joined
with the United Nations in a campaign to show that many African countries are
promising destinations for foreign direct investment, despite the continent's
negative image.
UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan - a Ghanaian - has given his personal endorsement to a joint project linking
ICC and the UN Conference on Trade and Development to convince foreign investors
not to write Africa off, but to take a closer look, country by country, sector
by sector and opportunity by opportunity.
Some 30 leading international
companies are providing advice under the programme to the goverments of Ethiopia,
Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Uganda on the essentials of a successful direct
investment regime.
Commenting on the creation
of ICC Ghana, ICC Secretary General Maria Livanos Cattaui, said: "A new dynamism
is taking hold in many parts of Africa. For business, as well as for African
governments and regional organizations, the challenge will be to sustain and
even increase the momentum
."