Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — In the presence of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah and adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industrial (JCCI) organized a function to celebrate its 75th anniversary.

Titled “75 Years of Achievements,” the event was held at Jeddah Exhibition Center and attended by Prince Mishal Bin Majed, governor of Jeddah, Prince Badr Bin Sultan, deputy governor of Makkah, Minister of Commerce and Investment Dr. Majid Abdullah Al-Qasabi, members of the JCCI board of directors, a large number of businessmen and government officials.

Upon the arrival of the emir of Makkah at the venue of the celebrations the national anthem was played.

The ceremony, which began with a few verses from the Holy Qur’an, was inaugurated by JCCI Deputy Chairman Mazen Bin Mohammad Batterjee.

In his speech, Batterjee praised the generous care given by King Salman to the celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the first Saudi chamber of commerce in Jeddah.

Batterjee said the celebrations aim to renew the commitment of the wise Saudi leadership to carry on the Kingdom’s economic vision.

He also said the chamber was looking forward to honoring a number of its strategic partners in the government and private sectors as well as several businessmen and women in appreciation to their support and cooperation.

He said the chamber’s success stemmed from its involvement with only of businesses but also with nonprofit groups and charitable organizations.

Minister of Commerce and Investment Al-Qasabi recalled his memories of working with the Jeddah Chamber as a businessman and as its secretary-general,

He explained how they brought this entity to an advanced level of success. “The chamber witnessed many developments and made comprehensive achievements at all levels,” he said.

Al-Qasabi said the chamber’s mission upon its founding was to unite businesses and enhance the business climate and quality of life. “Though the methods of achieving those goals have, by necessity, changed, the goals themselves remain in place,” he added.

Later, the emir of Makkah honored some of the chamber’s long-standing linchpins.

The activities continued on Wednesday with seminars and dialogue sessions with speakers tackling various topics related to the role of the chambers in enhancing the private sector and creating investment opportunities for local and foreign investors.

In the first session entitled “The Role of Chambers of Commerce in Developing the Private Sector”, Tamir Mansour, secretary-general of the Arab Brazilian Chamber, spoke about the need to diversify trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and Brazil.

He pointed that the Kingdom could serve as a logistic hub for transferring Brazilian products into the Middle East.

According to Mansour, 12 million Arab emigrants in Brazil could be a perfect potential for exporting suitable products to the Latin American country.

Malaysia worked on developing its business by focusing on establishing chambers in different countries to enhance connections, said Dato Hashim Saleh, president of Kuala Lumpur International Chamber of Commerce, while highlighting their efforts in exchange of trade with Saudi Arabia in different sectors including oil and gas, engineering and IT. He added that they also sought to collaborate with the Kingdom in food safety.

Abdul Aziz Al-Mukhlafi focused on the need to transfer technology and enhance the industrial sector. In addition, he said, the chambers do play a role in training youth and advancing their skills to meet the local market needs.

In his address in the third session that focused on tourism and entertainment sector, Amr Banaja, CEO of the Entertainment Authority, said their primary role was to entertain citizens and create jobs for the local youth. The sector is expected to create 200,000 jobs by 2030, he said, adding that the authority organized 140 events in 2018, compared to 87 events in 2017.