Local Chamber of Commerce Established

- Linda Jaquet -

On 19 March, the formation of Prince Albert’s first ever Chamber of Commerce will be formally confirmed. The Chamber was inaugurated at a meeting of residents of different backgrounds and interests on 12 February, which gave the go-ahead to the Chamber’s interim management committee to recruit members and officially establish the organisation.

“This is an exciting development that could profoundly affect our town. I am fully behind it,” Eric Ahrens of Pam Golding Properties told the Friend.

The same meeting had earlier approved the voluntary dissolution of the successful Prince Albert Women in Action and the transfer of the organisation’s projects and funds to the proposed Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber’s constitution has been drafted and a website address registered. Its management and membership structures and proposed objectives and the services it could offer members were discussed at the February meeting. The interim management committee intends in due course to affiliate the Chamber with the Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut and the South African Chamber of Business, amongst others.

The new body sees itself as a broad-based, apolitical and non-discriminatory group to develop and promote business enterprise in Prince Albert.

In being an effective voice of the town’s business community, the Chamber envisages having several roles, including lobbying, creating a skills database, identifying marketing opportunities for members and training and employment prospects for the town. It hopes to source interesting and appropriate guest speakers and identify funding for members locally and nationally, as well as keep members informed of Municipal meetings and decisions and local data that could assist in business decisions.

Proposed membership fees start at R200.00 per annum depending on the number of people in the permanent employ of an individual or enterprise.

All individuals and existing businesses and organisations would be most welcome to attend the meeting at 13h00 at the Swartberg Hotel on 19 March.

Enquiries about membership of the Chamber should be addressed to:
Jo Long at longs@billybeth.co.uk or on 0824007374 or
Sally Arnold at info@sallyarnold.com or on 0827105909.