
Fortune News | Jun 10,2021
Dec 16 , 2023
By BERSABEH GEBRE ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )
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.
On the other hand, the 200-member-strong Dire Dewa City Chamber pinned the delayed meeting on a court battle with the city administration over ownership of a three-floor building. Board members felt that they should not leave tasks unfinished, said Tewodros Hailu. He acknowledged receiving the letter from the national Chamber but did not know of any letter from the Ministry.
"We have plans to hold the annual meeting," he said, "No specific date has been chosen."
Only a few have complied and set the date thus far.
Headed by Mesenbet Shenkute, the lively Addis Abeba Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Association (AACCSA) is breaking the ice. It has called for its members this week at the Inter-Luxury Hotel. Leaders indicated that they were finalising an internal audit while waiting for a convenient time for the majority of 9,000 members.
Shibeshi Betemariam, secretary general of Addis Chamber, recalled being the first to convene last year and attributed the slight postponement this year to the wave of financial institutions conducting shareholding meetings over the past two months.
"We've always been alert," he said.
Legal experts point to the centrality of annual general assemblies for functional organisations. While tight schedules to meet the minimum required attendees may impede associations with several members, virtual gatherings were viable options, according to Yehualashet Tamiru, a commercial lawyer.
For him, difficulties in physical convening are not a plausible reason for missing annual assemblies in this day and age where several virtual platforms are present. Yehualashet said technological advances are allowed as long as a representative from the Document Authentication & Registration Service is present.
He indicates the inevitable liability of the board of directors to organise general assemblies even though their defined leadership terms have ended.
"They are still liable for all activities," he told Fortune.
PUBLISHED ON
Dec 16,2023 [ VOL
24 , NO
1233]
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