Ethiopia – CIPE Field Representative Hailemelekot Asfaw met with the board and management of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (ECCSA) to discuss the upcoming partnership project with CIPE for the establishment of a Chamber Academy. ECCSA agreed to provide the venue and office space within their premise for housing the Chamber Academy, which is modeled after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Organization Management.
Cote d’Ivoire – La Federation des Artisans de Cote d’Ivoire (FEDACI) met with the Minister of Commerce and the informal sector to discuss FEDACI’s recent election to the presidency of the Confederations des Artisans de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CAAO), a confederation of artisans throughout West Africa. FEDACI was recently elected to the presidency of CAAO by its member federations.
CIPE hosts guest lecture by Hernando de Soto; CIPE staff in Ethiopia conduct training program on strategy, membership development, and advocacy; CIPE completes report on development of women’s chambers of commerce in Pakistan
Ethiopia –CIPE held a roundtable meeting in Addis Ababa for 32 participants representing business membership organizations, entrepreneurs, and business owners from Bahirdar, Hawassa, Adama, Mekele, Dire Dawa and Harar towns in addition to Addis Ababa city. The meeting was opened by the President of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (ECCSA) Mulu Solomon, and led by CIPE Field Representatives Hailemelekot Asfaw and Henok Assefa.
Ethiopia – CIPE consultants Henock Assefa and Hailemelekot Asfaw conducted two focus groups with 12 business people from construction, information technology, advertising, consulting, and manufacturing sectors. The participants are not currently members of a chamber of commerce, and the consultants’ questions sought to understand their needs with regards to advocacy and consulting services.
Senegal – CIPE partner l’Union Nationale des Commercants et Industriels du Senegal (UNACOIS) conducted a two-day regional forum on their economic policy concerns for its members in the northern region of Senegal. The objective of this forum was to discuss policy reform priorities that will promote a more business-enabling environment across the country. The 42 participants were UNACOIS members from the Tamba, Sedhiou, Kedougou, and Kolda districts in northern Senegal.
