AMCHAM GHANA VISITS AMCHAM CÔTE D'IVOIRE
The American Chamber of Commerce in Côte d’Ivoire hosted the visit of the Executive Secretary of AmCham Ghana from November 11 to 13, 2022. The Executive Secretary of AmCham Ghana (Mr. Simon Madjié) and his wife stayed in Côte d’Ivoire at the invitation of the President of AmCham-CI Mr. (Yohannes Mekbebe).
This working visit and exchange aimed to create a framework for collaboration between both our organizations but also to benefit from the experience of Mr. Simon Madjié who has been leading the activities of AmCham Ghana for several years. It should also be noted that AmCham Ghana exists since the 90s while AmCham Côte d’Ivoire was created in 2013. This is the context of the visit that we will describe in the following lines.
Arrived on Friday, November 11, 2022, Mr. Simon and his wife have met the AmCham team and some members during a dinner offered on the occasion of their arrival. We shared a moment of conviviality allowing us to know the man, his vision for Africa and his expertise. Mr. Simon had the chance to meet members such as: Coca Cola, Citi bank, Wave and MANY represented by : Anthony Kouakou, Otito Onuegbu, Stephane Hié Néa and Sakinah Rauf.
On Saturday, November 12, 2022, Mr. Simon participated in a working meeting in the presence of the president of AmCham Cote d’Ivoire (Yohannes Mekbebe), the vice president (Brice Lodougnon), the representative of Citi Bank (Otito Onuegbu), the legal advisor (Daniel Lamarche) and the AmCham-CI team.
During this working session, Mr. Simon shared his experience with the audience. He mentioned that AmCham is an essential tool of U.S. foreign economic policy. Therefore, it is necessary for our agency to take advantage of this opportunity and become an essential bridge between American and Ivorian decision-makers.
Mr. Simon also encouraged us to include a cultural and educational dimension to Amcham-CI’s mission. He also outlined the keys to AmCham-CI’s greater impact :lobbying for members, proposing legislation to regularize the business climate, providing state-of-the-art information, and promoting Cote d’Ivoire as a favorable destination for American businesses.
To achieve this, AmCham’s perception and influence must be at its highest level. Second, Amcham-CI will need to be active in communication. Also, we will need to develop a calendar of events including private meetings with policy makers and decision makers. In addition, every 3 months AmCham must provide a report on the Business environment in Cote d’Ivoire.
Finally, AmCham must build a strong partnership with CEPICI and the Export Promotion Agency of Cote d’Ivoire.
After the working meeting, Mr. Simon participated in a cultural visit to Bassam where he had lunch with some of the members and staff of AmCham.
On Sunday, November 13, 2022, Mr. Simon and his wife flew back to Accra after a morning of discovery of the city of Abidjan in company of the Executive Director Marie Michèle N’ZI.
We express our gratitude to Mr. Simon Madjié and his wife Mrs. Grace Kumah Madjié for their availability and commitment to this project. We also express our gratitude to all the members who assisted us during this visit.
