Opportunity Issue 104

SACCI
While such costs still exist, they are dramatically lower for many
businesses; some businesses have become transnational to the extent
that they likely have more resources available to manage these issues
than chambers.
Thought 3: Competitive chambers
As business became more global, chambers have tried to manage
potential conflicts across boundaries on an ad hoc basis. Some
chambers market to businesses in geographies they don’t serve
in order to attract companies to their geography. In other cases,
chambers help members export goods or even business activities
to other geographies. In some cases, chambers can collaborate to
support businesses of mutual interest; a chamber may find its services
compete with another chamber.
Advocate Mtho Xulu delivers the presidential address to the SACCI Annual Convention.
• Financial services
• Telecommunications
• Tourism and leisure
• Education and skills.
New normal and the future of the chamber movement
As we emerge from the era of Covid-19 and acclimatise to the new
normal of the chamber movement and future of organised business,
SACCI will be implementing the internationally-renowned Chamber
Model Innovation, as developed by the World Chamber Federation.
Four Provocative Thoughts for the Future
We will begin implementing the models on the basis of what the World
Chamber Federation calls the four provocative thoughts for the future:
Thought 1: Reassessing the purpose of chambers
Our observation is that chambers of commerce have historically
focused on supporting businesses and business ecosystems for
a variety of purposes and outcomes. Some of these services,
such as government-policy advocacy, are both long-term and
distanced from most day-to-day challenges of businesses. Some
services such as networking and general business guidance are
commoditised by online communication and data systems. In
other words, while these needs still broadly exist for businesses
and business ecosystems, the supply and value associated with
serving these needs has changed dramatically.
Thought 2: The global chamber
Chambers of commerce have historically focused on supporting
businesses and business ecosystems based on geographic and
state boundaries. In South Africa, this tends to be city and provincial
boundaries. This made sense because the majority of business was
limited by transportation and communication costs as well as the
cost of managing multiple cultural and regulatory systems across
state boundaries.
Thought 4: Experimental business-platform chambers
Chambers of commerce have historically focused on supporting
businesses and business ecosystems for a variety of purposes and
outcomes. Almost all of these services, however, are focused on
current business activities (aside from, potentially, policy advocacy).
Many businesses, however, regularly explore new opportunities,
including business model innovation. Chambers of commerce
have potentially unique access to business trends and B2B customer
information. At the global level, chambers could provide trusted
access to the largest possible audience of business customers as a
resource for “lean startup” experimentation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we commit ourselves to a new era for a privatesector-led
economic prosperity that will unlock new value building
through organised business formations. We will also support public
sector economic development initiatives such as the Gauteng
Provincial Government’s "Grow Gauteng Together", as this is the hub
of the economy and gateway into the South Africa economy.
The SACCI Gala Dinner followed the AGM and the Business Conference.
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