Our History and overview

How it all started

The African-Jewish Chamber of Commerce (AJCC) historically started as the Economic Department of United Friends of Israel (UFI).

The UFI was charged by H. E. Ambassador Daniel Kedem (Retired), the then Israeli Ambassador resident at Abidjan, Ivory Coast with oversight responsibilities to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone. H. E. Daniel Kedem, a personal friend of the founder of UFI invited him to his office in Abidjan and charged him with the responsibility of organizing the state of Israel President H. E. Moshe Katsav to Ghana.

Unfortunately, the diplomatic preparation was halted midstream when H. E. Moshe Katsav lost his presidency.

The Economic Development was officially registered as Ghana Israel Chamber of Commerce (GICC).

Rev. Kofi Oduro Ofori-Agyeman-Prempeh served as the Founder and 1st CEO of the Ghana-Israel Chamber of Commerce (GICC) The 1st Directors were:

• Rev Kofi Oduro Ofori-Agyeman-Prempeh (Founder/CEO)
• Mr Alex Owusu-Ansah
• Rev. Paul-Jeff Amoakohene Amankwah-Antwi (Secretary)
• Mr Isaac Kuffour
• Mrs Tali Tal (the then Co-Ordinator of the incoming Israeli Embassy)
• Mrs Dorothy Saah

The GICC later on during the tenure of H. E. Amiel Mehr was changed to Ghana Business Chamber when at the diplomatic behest of H. E. Amiel, Rev Agyeman Prempeh was instructed to hand over the operations of the GICC to the Economic Department of the Israeli Embassy.

The I Economic Department was tasked to oversee the operations of the GICC but surprisingly did not maintain the name but changed the GICC and registered a name calling it Ghana-Israel Business Chamber

The GICC at the behest of the then Israeli Ambassador H. E. Ami Merh was handed over to the Economic Department of the Israeli Embassy.
Mr. Edem Yevutsey a staff of the Embassy took over Ghana Israel Chamber of Commerce and converted it into Ghana Israel Business Chamber.

The African-Jewish Chamber of Commerce (AJCC) was thus incorporated on the 21st day of June Two thousand and Sixteen under the Companies Code, 1963 (ACT 179) as a Limited Company on the Nineteenth day of March 2009. Given under the hand of the Registrar of Companies on 21st day of June,2016. Therefore, the GICC was officially taking over by the Israeli Embassy during the tenure of H. E. Amiel Mehr.

Objectives

The AJCC is an association of businessmen/women, firms and organizations of African and Jewish descent whose primary objectives are to:

• Work in collaboration with the State of Israel and her respective Embassies/Missions across the continent of Africa with the objective of promoting and enhancing economic, trade and investment opportunities for African businesses and firms.
• Encourage and protect the business interests of its members by addressing critical business challenges facing them.
• Develop a database of African and Jewish businesses/firms to consolidate and strengthen African/Jewish business collaboration through the Chamber.
• Identify emerging African businesses and start-ups and assist them to secure Jewish capital and technology support to grow these businesses/start-ups.
• Provide business advisory services through the study of the market and its available investment opportunities.
• Provide a platform for sharing knowledge of best practices and standards within and amongst members.
• Advocate for mobilization of investments and other resources for the development and integration of African economies.
• Partner the African Union and its regional economic blocks to implement programmes and projects for sustainable growth with the collaboration and assistance of Jewish capital.
• Act as a catalyst and advocacy in the promotion of common cultural norms and values for social transformation
• Promote business and cultural trips between the peoples of the African continent and their counterparts in Israel and the diaspora.

Original Objectives of the GICC

• To promote international economic diplomacy between the peoples and governments of the republic of ghana and collaborate with the Mashav (Ministry Of Foreign Affairs) of the state of Israel
• To promote Ghanaian and Israel chambers of commerce and allied institutions by facilitating transparency, legality and background checks of financiers, collaborators, partnerships and agencies in the ECOWAS sub-region, the AU, the COMMONWEALTH, and in the international business community to prevent financial fraud and business crime IE.419, kidnapkings, murder, etc.
• To promote and empower women in business, under-financed businesses, peasant farmers, the needy and the physically challenged in collaboration with governments, NGOs, UN agencies, Israel experts and philanthropists.
• To promote Israeli ingenuity, self-help, business ethics, research and development in Ghana and in tertiary institutions and research organizations.
• To augment the efforts of individual members in collating and writing the requisite business documentation, financial and partnership feasibility reports for presentation during business tours, trade fairs and fora in israel and in other international business forums.