CIPE Pakistan Deputy Country Director Hammad Siddiqui was interviewed by the Business Recorder this week, discussing the history and reform of the country’s chambers of commerce and business associations. Siddiqui highlights the role that CIPE has played in strengthening the chamber and association movement since launching its program in 2006, beginning with an effort to re-register all Pakistan’s associations.
As Siddiqui points out, “Back then a lot of these associations did not have offices; they were operating from homes; they lacked staff and had other traits of what is oft termed ‘brief case associations.’ Over 30 percent of these briefcase chambers and associations vanished through the re-registration process.” Siddiqui also illustrates some of the problems that typically face chambers and associations in South Asia generally, including that the original founders have “a hold on the chamber or the association, even when they do not directly hold a position” and that “when they appoint a CEO to run the association’s affairs, they do not really see them as CEOs…. and in spirit, the board does not treat that person as a CEO.”
Siddiqui lays out some recommendations for the further development of chambers in Pakistan, including the need for more competition among chambers and associations, more emphasis on service provision, and a push to empower staff. Read the whole article here.
Marc Schleifer is Program Officer for South Asia at CIPE.
Published Date: July 12, 2013