The Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (ECCSA) convened this week a general assembly for the first time in six years. The hiatus, which has led to controversy and a decline in advocacy for private sector interests, ended on Thursday with the election of a new president.
Sebsibe Abafira was chosen to replace the outgoing Melaku Ezezew, who had been serving at the helm past the expiry of his official term.
Although its bylaws oblige the Chamber to convene a general assembly every year, Melaku says it was not possible to do so for the last six years due to members’ inability to participate. ECCSA comprises 18 regional and sectoral chambers of commerce. Sources say the latest assembly took place partly due to pressure from the government.
“The members failed to discharge their obligations as stated in the rules. The eighteen regional and sectoral chambers in particular failed to contribute their membership fees to ECCSA. Very few of them have been paying. This has significantly affected ECCSA’s revenues,” Melaku told the general assembly.
According to ECCSA’s bylaws, membership is revoked if a member fails to pay its fees for two years.
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“However, if we cancel their membership, only three members would have been eligible to remain as members, since most were not paying the membership fee,” said Melaku.
The general assembly moved to excuse all delinquent members from paying any fines they may have racked up and to maintain their membership status. The lengthy meeting, which reportedly lasted until 8:30 pm, also saw the presentation of the Chamber’s financial audit reports for the last five years.
The assembly was lively, and although criticism was voiced by participants on a number of issues, the election of the Chamber’s new president was the highlight.
The election process began abruptly, and did not feature the customary introductions and statements of vision from candidates. The rush faced opposition from the general assembly and ensuing arguments took up much of the time. The presidents of the Addis Ababa and Amhara chambers of commerce and sectoral associations went as far as calling for a suspension of the election. The process was eventually resumed.
The results, and Sebsibe’s victory with 81 votes, were announced in the evening. Sebsibe is a lifelong entrepreneur who embarked on his own business ventures at a young age. He has since grown his portfolio to include import-export, manufacturing, agriculture, real estate, and service ventures, many of which are in the Jimma Zone. He also has a proven track record in community service and positions in regional and national organizations.
Assefa Alemnew, president of the Amhara Chamber, was runner-up with 40 votes. Mesenbet Shenkute, president of the Addis Ababa Chamber, received 17 votes.
Sebsibe replaces Melaku as the 23rd president of ECCSA, ending a tenure filled with controversy. Aynalem Abayneh (PhD), who was in the running as part of the Southern Ethiopia Chamber, will serve as Sebsibe’s deputy.
No less than sixteen candidates competed for ECCSA’s board positions, of which nine were elected.
Kasahun Gofe (PhD), who was recently appointed by the Prime Minister to lead the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration, and Berhane Mewa, a former ECCSA president, were also present during the general assembly.
“ECCSA must regain its old strength. The organization must become vocal in representing the private sector interests, recommend policy alternatives for the government, and contribute a major role in economic development,” said Berhane. “Security and inflation remain fundamental challenges for the private sector. These issues should have been on the agenda during the general assembly.”
The newly-elected president acknowledged the challenges ahead and made several pledges for his tenure.
“We will undertake several reforms. Especially since Ethiopia is preparing to join AfCFTA and WTO, we have a lot of work to prepare Ethiopia’s private sector for the global and continental competitions ahead of us,” said Sebsibe.
The government’s recent move to split the chambers into two along trade and industry lines is another issue on the agenda.
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