| |
AmCham History
Efforts to establish an American Chamber of
Commerce in Egypt date back to the 1950s, when Hassan El Abd initiated the idea. But
political changes within Egypt kept the idea dormant until 1974, when President Anwar El
Sadat initiated the "Open Door" policy.
A by-product of the policy was the formation of the
Egypt-U.S. Joint Business Council. Twice yearly, this group of top-level Egyptian and
American business executives met to discuss Egyptian business issues. The first resolution
of the Council in 1974 called for the creation of an American Chamber of Commerce in
Egypt.
Finally, after seven years of intermittent efforts
to found the Chamber, some substantive progress was made in 1981 under the organization of
George DeBakey of Rockwell International. He recruited prominent Egyptian and American
business leaders who shared his commitment to a chamber. President Sadat was an
enthusiastic supporter of these initial efforts, but his assassination brought uncertainty
again to the plans. In 1981, President Hosni Mubarak also recognized the need to have an
organization committed to fostering commercial and investment ties between Egypt and the
United States and, in October 1981, he issued an order for the Chamber's establishment. |
|
Click to enlarge |
An organizing committee was created and met weekly
from July 1982 to January 1983. September 1982 saw the commencement of a membership drive
that resulted in 120 charter members by the following January. In October, AmCham held its
inaugural luncheon meeting with Egypt's minister of investment Dr. Wagih Shindy as the
featured speaker. On that occasion, congratulatory messages were received from the U.S.
secretary of state on behalf of the president of the United States and from the
president
of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. At the Chamber's second meeting in November, a draft
constitution and set of bylaws were circulated to the membership, and nominations for the
first Board of Governors were solicited. At the December meeting, nominations for the
first Board of Governors were announced, and Basil Nikas was chosen as
acting president.
The constitution and
bylaws outlined the following
goals of an American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt: to create a friendlier business
environment by facilitating communication between businessmen; to provide a network for
sharing business information about Egypt and addressing common problems; to represent the
views of American businessmen in Egypt to public and private interests in the United
States; and to establish a line of communication between businessmen and the Egyptian
government, helping to "improve the atmosphere" for business in Egypt.
The Chamber in Egypt was the 44th American Chamber
of Commerce to be established abroad and the first in the Middle East. On January 18,
1983, the Chamber elected its first Board of Governors.
More Information on
AmCham History
Top
|
|
