AmCham Cares launch
Client Relationship Management Training
AmCham Sector Meeting - Hospitality
AmCham Donates Golf Day proceeds
Speed networking Coctail
AmCham Signs MOU with ZIPAR
AmCham Hosts US. Under Secretary
AmCham receives Global Membership
Welcome to our first quarter newsletter publication for the year 2023 We are delighted to share our activities for the period between January and March. Our aim remains to serve our members while increasing our value proposition. We have achieved this through various initiatives and activities centered on our five pillars
In the period under review, the Chamber undertook the following activities. We successfully launched the AmCham Cares Magazine in January as well as signed an MOU with ZIPAR to strengthen our trajectory on influencing healthy policies for our members. AmCham received a global membership certificate from the Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce in the USA We also engaged members from the Hospitality sector whose concerns were later presented to the Ministry of Tourism.
Secretariat had the privilege of hosting the US undersecretary, Marisa Lago in collaboration with USAID a special and private event board members, and some platinum
Finally, we would like to thank you, our members for your support in the first quarter. We look forward to more of your engagement and participation in the Chamber's activities throughout the year
Enjoy your read as you delve into AmCham's Quarter 1 Newsletter.
Chansa Mwila, Chief Executive Officer, American Chamber of Commerce in Zambia.
The Chamber officially launched the long-awaited first-ever AMCHAM Cares Magazine on Friday 27th January 2023
AmCham Cares is a magazine that appreciates and showcases the best practices within the corporate citizenship and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs implemented by different organizations within and outside our membership. This magazine also houses adverts for various products and services from different organizations.
Speaking at the virtual launch was AmCham CEO, Chansa Mwila who thanked companies who took advantage of this opportunity to showcase their CSR activities as well as adverts
The Chamber has since dispatched the AmCham Cares to various locations where readers can access it for free.
Client relationship management (CRM), a technology for managing companies’ relationships and interactions with customers and potential clients can not be overemphasized. With the complexities in market dynamics, information on CRM will continually be important for organizations to grow their market share
AmCham hosted a webinar on Client Relationship Management (CRM) focusing on the next customer generation The training was held on 16th February 2023 from 09:00 am to 10:00 am on the Microsoft Teams platform facilitated by Mr Godfrey Tenesi, Chief Commercial OfficerSanlam Life Insurance Zambia Limited.
This training is an initiative in line with the Chamber's Thought Leadership pillar which is designed to equip each attendee with information on CRM's best practices.
The training had a total of 96 participants from various organizations from the chamber's membership The Chamber would like to thank all participants that took part and encourage all members to take advantage of these opportunities when availed
The American Chamber of Commerce in Zambia has partnered with Zambia is Back and the Zambia Development Agency to share useful customized information on trade and investment in the country and surrounding regions
The Chamber will therefore share this information on a monthly basis through a custom blast as well as on our website.
This initiative is aimed at increasing access to information on trade and investment as well as providing a database of summations of monthly activities as they relate to the business environment The Chamber believes the briefings will be of great benefit to your organization.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Zambia in conjunction with USAID-Zambia hosted the U.S Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago. She was joined by the U.S Ambassador to Zambia, His excellency Mr. Michael C. Gonzales and other delegation members. The cocktail took place at the Latitude 15 in Kabulonga where private sector engagement initiatives were discussed with selected industry leaders
Present at the event were AmCham President and AmCham Board members In her speech, Lowani Chibesakunda reiterated the Chamber's quest to facilitate trade and investment between Zambia and the U S through the 5 pillars namely; Advocacy, Investment, networking, Business LInkages, and Thought leadership
The Chamber will continue to provide value initiative engagements with global leaders to ensure a businessenabling environment is sustained
As part of our CSR obligation, The American Chamber of Commerce raises funds through sponsored events to support organizations and facilities with various needs
The Chamber through its sponsors was able to Donate proceeds of the 2022 Annual Golf Day to Home of happiness for children with disabilities.
This facility houses a total of 96 children with neurological and physical challenges. The children receive shelter, education and a feeding program.
The Chamber wishes to thank all sponsors for coming on board in making this positive impact
On Wednesday 22nd March 2023, the American Chamber of Commerce in Zambia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research
This MOU will seek to provide policy analysis and research benefiting the Chamber and its private sector network The MOU will also provide an opportunity for undertaking capacity-building training programs for both the Chamber and its members At its core, this MOU will facilitate the formulation of investment data for both the members and investors looking to penetrate the Zambian Market.
AmCham will continue to develop such relationships in order to improve the business climate in Zambia
We look forward to a long-lasting relationship with ZIPAR
On the 14th of March, 2023 CIEDEC's Eddy Sumar met with the American Chamber of Commerce in Zambia CEO, Chansa Mwila who had the opportunity to receive the Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce's Global Membership Certificate on behalf of the Chamber
The meeting marked the beginning of a business collaboration and friendship between our AmCham Zambia and the Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce from the U.S.
In line with our networking and business linkage pillars, AmCham hosted a cocktail dubbed "Speed networking"
This event was held on the 23rd of March 2023 at 4 on bishops road, AfricaWorks from 6 PM to 8 PM.
AmCham recognizes that solid business connections are established outside the office. For this reason, the Chamber hosts regular networking events. Networking Cocktails bring together an exclusive network of highly established and talented business individuals who are united around the idea of sharing, creating, and developing ideas and expertise to grow successful businesses
AmCham wishes to thank all guests from various organizations in our membership pool for being in attendance
On Tuesday 28th February 2023, AmCham met with some of its member organizations in the hospitality sector We appreciate the representatives who participated in this initiative, and we applaud them for sharing their challenges and opportunities in their line of work.
As part of the 2023-2026 AmCham Value addition strategic Plan, the Chamber will continue to engage its members using this dialogue platform "AmCham Sector meetings" to effectively deliver the required value
According to the concerns raised by the leaders of the companies present, the hospitality industry in Zambia has the highest tax burdens in comparison to other countries around Southern Africa This burden has been transferred to customers making Zambia’s prices less competitive on the international market.
Some specific concerns include;
Setting up a business in Zambia is expensive due to high tax rates and numerous regulations and licenses for the hospitality industry
The industry has not been well-marketed, and there is a lack of transparency regarding the tourism levy being paid
There is a lack of coordination between the Government and the hospitality industry when hosting international events.
The industry needs to be at a comparative advantage when assessing the cost of hosting regional and international conferences.
The Lack of tourist attractions in Lusaka has made it difficult for hotels in Lusaka to bid for conference hosting. The industry needs much support from the Government.
Upon receiving the concerns, secretariat compiled a document and submitted to Ministry of Tourism and Arts on the 28th of March 2023.
Present at the meeting was the Elected sector Leader, Mr Kudzayi Nheweyembwa as well as AmCham CEO Ms Chansa Mwila
