Chambers can
boost grassroots business development for NEPAD
By Avijit Mazumdar
Chairman of the World Chambers Federation
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| Avijit Mazumdar |
The ambitious goals of the
New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) will be realized if business
can grow and flourish in Africa - not just the multinationals and big conglomerates,
but the hundreds and thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises that are
the lifeblood of the economy.
NEPAD will succeed in preparing
the ground if the governments that support it do all the right things that have
been recited at meeting after meeting throughout the year - banish or at least
reduce conflicts, improve governance and economic management. In all these areas,
it is for the governments to deliver.
What business can and will
do is to mobilize its own networks in support of NEPAD, and especially those
that serve the small traders, the shopkeepers, the local service providers and
craftsmen who are the main suppliers of jobs. This is crucial, for the single
most important ingredient for Africa's success in both political and economic
terms is the creation of wealth through employment
The most widespread and
influential of all those business networks is the chamber of commerce movement
- which is well established in key parts of Africa and has a long tradition
of service to business.
The great strength of chambers
everywhere is that they form part of a global network enabling their members
to seize business opportunities far beyond their borders. Chambers have expertise
in essential areas for foreign trade, such as customs, tax regimes, providing
economic information. They undertake specific export functions, like iss
ues
certificates of origin and ATA Carnets for the temporary admission of goods.
They sponsor and receive trade missions and organize participation in trade
fairs and exhibitions.
And the good news for Africa's
business prospects is that the chambers themselves, not just in Africa, but
throughout the world, have made enormous strides in making the most of their
unique asset of universal presence and recognition.
They have achieved this through a specialized division of the International
Chamber of Commerce, the World Chambers Federation (WCF).
The WCF is a focal point
for chambers throughout the world, and stages a world congress every two years
- the next one being in Quebec in September 2003, where a strong African presence
is expected. In 2005, the World Chambers' Congress is scheduled to be held in
an African country for the first time - a decision that reflects expectations
for closer integration of the continent in the world economy.
At the end of this month,
at ICC's African regional conference in Yaoundé, the WCF will present
a public-private partnership proposal for strengthening chambers of commerce
throughout Africa, one of NEPAD's stated objectives. We shall be inviting African
chambers to join the WCF, as 200 of them have already done. The African Development
Bank and relevant UN agencies would be ideal partners for a project on these
lines.
WCF exactly meets the special needs of African chambers and responds to NEPAD's
priorities for capacity building - one of those new pieces of jargon that simply
means developing economic potential.
Through its extensive global
support network, WCF enables chambers to exchange experiences and improve their
performance. It enlists the expertise of long-established chambers to advise
new chambers on possible service benefits for their members and how to set up
the best structure for maximum effectiveness.
All these are skills that
African chambers will need to sharpen as their members become more demanding
and more competitive. WCF is ready to provide the necessary knowhow and network.
Avijit Mazumdar is Chairman,
TIL Ltd, of Calcutta. He is
Former President, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)