JEDDAH, 4 December 2003 — In anticipation of Saudi Arabia joining the World Trade Organization next year, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) has added extra departments and made organizational changes to ensure better service.
An investment promotion and foreign trade department has been set up to facilitate investments. The department will be responsible for all incoming international business delegations as well as Saudi delegations going abroad.
In addition, a new center for tourism has been established with JCCI Secretary-General Muhammad Al-Sharif at its head.
The changes redefined the chamber’s strategies by means of a five-year plan to monitor the day-to-day work of its 270 employees and to improve services to its 3,000 members and the general public. Membership registration and renewal procedures have been simplified.
“Those seeking to become members now need to provide a JCCI application form, an ID and family card which states their status and profession and business licenses from relevant government departments,” Al-Sharif said on Tuesday.
The chamber has been offering attestation services both in the morning and evening at its head office and branch located at the International Exhibition and Convention Center on Madinah Road on weekdays including Thursday. There is also a plan to make attestation services available on Friday which is the official weekly holiday.
Al-Sharif said the chamber’s balance sheet showed a surplus which would be spent on priority items such as development of services and human resources. “We’ve identified five distinct groups of clients — members, the business community, the general public, government departments and foreign entities including investors, exhibitors and consulates. We have an active group of businesswomen and we hope to establish a center for supporting women’s activities. We want to encourage women to work from home so that they become productive members of the community.”
Al-Sharif said that the chamber had studied and looked at the work of a number of international chambers including Barcelona, London, Paris and Dubai before deciding on the current changes.
