Business and Trade
U.S. Business Community Creates American Chamber of Commerce
Members of the U.S. business community in Uganda announced December 2nd the founding of the American Chamber of Commerce in Uganda.
U.S. Ambassador Steven Browning hosted the first meeting of the organization, which will represent the collective interests of the U.S. business community in the country.
Representatives of the Chamber said Uganda's overall economic development, along with increasing trade and investment with Uganda by U.S. firms, made the creation of an organization to promote U.S. business interests necessary.
"This is a great step forward for the U.S. business community," said the Chamber's Interim President, Citibank Uganda Managing Director Shirish Bhide.
"As Uganda's economy develops and as more American firms begin operating here, it becomes more important for us to have an organization like this."
The organization will advocate on behalf of U.S. business with the Government of Uganda, provide U.S. businesses with contacts and information, assist U.S. firms with trade and investment opportunities, and foster goodwill in the country overall, Bhide said.
In addition to Citibank, among the first members of the organization will be AIG Uganda, the global insurance company; Mantrac Uganda, the distributor of Caterpillar heavy machinery; NCR, the distributor of NCR and Dell products; Balton, the distributor of Motorola communications products; and Amproc, the logistics firm.
The Chamber is accepting applications for memberships from businesses and organization owned by American investors, selling American products, or holding other links to the United States. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will have an interim board which will serve until the group holds its first general meeting in early 2009.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Uganda will be one of 112 American Chambers of Commerce in 100 countries around the world. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce federation is the world's largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses of all sizes and sectors worldwide.
For more information, please contact Abhay Agarwal, c/o Grace Nataya, American Chamber of Commerce Interim Secretariat, at NCR Uganda, at 0414 346 846, or check the Internet link to the Chamber at http://kampala.usembassy.gov/business.html.