JEDDAH, 7 March 2006 — A new committee was formed at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) that aims at connecting and communicating with the various sectors of the society and to inform them of the services that the chamber can provide for them.

The Tawasul (linking) Committee held its first meeting on Sunday with one of those sectors, young entrepreneurs, to consult with them about what they expect from the chamber.

“The committee emanated from the board members council and its goal is to communicate with all sectors of society and we began with the sector that is the furthest away from the chamber,” said board member and vice-chairman of the committee Madawi Al-Hassoun.

“We want to prepare them to enter the chamber and inform them about it so that they can play a role in it,” she told Arab News.

The group of around 13 young businessmen toured the chamber and spoke with the heads of the different administrations, such as the Small-Business Development Center, the Human Resources Development Center and the information and customer services divisions.

They also met with some of the board members and discussed their concerns, suggestions and expectations of the chamber. Some of them were disappointed by what they heard from the administration while others said that they were not getting the kind of services and support they need from the chamber.

“They told us about the problems and obstacles we face in starting and running our business but they didn’t tell us how they can help. The standard of their service is better than the Ministry of Commerce where there is a lot of bureaucracy, but they have still not progressed enough in processing papers and facilitating things between the different ministries,” said Noor Azzony, the sales manager at Forever Living Products.

Others criticized the lack of well-trained Saudis as salesmen and store managers to hire, as well as the high rents and other overhead expenses that are obstacles to successful ventures.

Abdul Ghani Sabbagh, board member and chairman of the committee, told Arab News that there would be other meetings with representatives of other sectors to encourage communication and participation in the activities of the chamber.

“We will also invite government officials, intellectuals, media personalities and others to hear from them,” he said.