Members of the regional and city chamber of commerce and sectoral associations have less than a week to convene a general assembly before the three-week window given by Teshale Belihu, former state minister for Trade & Regional Integration expires. The letter dispatched in mid-November had cautioned the regional chambers to hold a general assembly and be eligible for the national meeting.

A couple of months ago, the anticipated meeting of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce was cancelled by the Ministry. The decision came as only a few of its member constituents had managed to gather for their respective annual meeting before the given date.

An annual meeting sets the legal ground for the formation of the associations. However, the 10th General Assembly has been postponed for the past six years.

Jirata Nemera, head of Licensing & Regulatory at the Ministry, indicates that the regional chambers had been reluctant to meet despite three separate notices given by the national chamber. He revealed that aside from security concerns and financial burdens, the Ministry has been receiving reports that senior members were dragging along to postpone possible replacement.

"The regional chambers have been lagging," he told Fortune. "No one seems to be responding to the national chamber."

Elections are held every two years for a board of 11 directors and the head of the Ethiopian chamber, according to the Proclamation. Melaku Ezezew, head of the Amhara Regional Chamber was put in charge while Assefa G. Selassie, head of the Tigray Regional Chamber was elected as vice president. Despite several attempts to reach out, the management team of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce currently in Europe, declined to comment on the issue.

The Ethiopian Chamber is an autonomous private-sector institution and membership-based organisation. It was established to protect trade and investment and create a private sector and business-friendly environment, including seven sectoral associations from different industries. The first Ethiopian Chamber was established 76 years ago. A proclamation reformed two decades ago had the organisational structure under a new legal framework.

A host of particular reasons are forwarded by the regional chambers for the postponement of annual general assemblies this year.

The 18-year-old Tigray Chamber has been dealing with the ravages of the two-year conflict that swept in the northern part of the country even failing to identify the status of the 42 city members under its umbrella.

Vice President Atakilti Seyoum points to the impossibility of meeting this week's deadline with the regional chamber barely managing to visit its members in September. He said only 15 of their city members have reported back to the regional chamber after the Ministry dispatched the letter.

"We have been trying," he told Fortune.

He predicted they would finally be able to convene by the end of December. Atakilti also expects the new proclamation poised to reform chambers of commerce currently awaiting approval from the Council of Ministers, to have significant sway over their fate.