Chamber of Commerce embarks on membership drive

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10-11-08

THE Accra Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ARCCI) will embark on a membership drive as part of efforts to strengthen the chamber, the Chairman of the ARCCI, Nana Appiagyei Dankawoso, has said.
He added that the chamber would educate members on the importance of a corporate image, developing a capital investment plan, how to use loans, among other things.
Nana Dankawoso made this known to the Daily Graphic at the 529th monthly meeting of the ARCCI in Accra last Wednesday.
He said a major challenge facing the chamber was how to collectively source for funds, as members did that individually.
He underscored the need for financial institutions to move away from using landed property as collateral before giving out loans.
Rather, he said, they should use trust to give out loans, adding that they could also use treasury bills and life insurance policies, instead of landed property.
Nana Dankawoso called on the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) to develop a policy for members of the chamber that would enable them to have direct access to the organisation.
“We are requesting that you do business with us directly and not through intermediaries,” he stated.
A Programme Officer at the GTZ, Dr Julius Spatz, said the organisation did not deal with companies directly but gave loans to the banks for onward lending to companies and individuals.
He said loans to smaller banks were tied to technical assistance, among other things.
GTZ’s operations in Ghana are geared towards the country’s Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy goals. The strategy aims at sustainable and equally distributed economic growth, as well as accelerated poverty reduction in a democratic environment.
The chamber facilitates the participation of members in international trade fairs, conferences, seminars and exhibitions. It actively co-ordinates pre-exhibition arrangements with organisers in the host country.
Among other things, it also provides assistance to member firms which want to enter foreign markets through training and advice on exporting, documentation, including certificates of origin, and market intelligence.