Ghana-France Co-operation: GFCCIA Holds AGM

The Ghana France Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture (GFCCIA), has held its 3rd Annual General Meeting in Accra, last Tuesday. A new Executive Secretary, Cecile Leclerre, was appointed and two other members, Mr. Oscar Doe, a Ghanaian travel agent operator and Mr. Henri Bedarida, a French national and business development consultant, were also elected to join the Executive Committee.

Presenting the report for the year under review, the President of the Chamber, Ms. Joyce Darko, said they encountered numerous frustrations, which affected the overall achievement of the chamber. The president said the general recession in the economy last year affected the payment of dues by members, which in turn also affected the financial position of the chamber. The Vice President, she said, had to resign his membership during the course of the year due to ill health.

She told the meeting that the chamber was forced to suspend a trade mission to France last year, because some companies with questionable credentials attempted to infiltrate the mission for reasons that were not compatible with the objectives of the chamber. Although the chamber is planning another trade mission for its members, she explained that all applications would be subjected to careful scrutiny. Interested companies would also be required to apply for the entry visa on their own merit. "The chamber would rather keep its reputation and image than lose it to profit", she stressed.

The Kumasi office had to be closed down because it was unable to generate enough resources to run its activities. " We think that we would have to consolidate our efforts instead of diffusing our potential by opening unsuccessful branches". She said although the chamber had a lot of great ideas and high hopes for last year, it failed to achieve good results because of the numerous problems that confronted it. The president therefore called on members to liaze more closely with each other and network in order to create a stronger foundation for the chamber to enhance its performance in future.

A member of the executive committee announced that the chamber had reviewed its operations and has identified some key steps to take to make it more efficient and beneficial to members. These include sustainability, relevance, membership drive and innovation. In spite of the challenges, the chamber has been able to publish a business directorate containing details and profiles of member companies. Several business luncheons were also organised for members during the year.

The well-attended meeting included the French Ambassador in Ghana, Mr. Jean-Michel Berrit.