The Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (PHCCIMA) and Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E & I) Centre have indicated their readiness to partner in promoting business organisations in the state.
The Second Deputy President of PHCCIMA, Dr. Chinyere Nwoga, who made this known recently in Port Harcourt when PHCCIMA, in collaboration with E & I Centre, organized a one-day relationship building and partnership brokering workshop, emphasized on the need for business linkages and connections.
Dr. Nwoga, who represented the PHCCIMA President, Chief Nabil Saleh at the occasion, stated that this is why the present PHCCIMA administration has continued to provide support for businesses in the State.
“The present administration has continued to make effort to provide support for growing business connections of member companies via exploration of possible avenues with partner organisations”, she said.
She explained that PHCCIMA is aware of the constraints hampering local businesses, which, she said, include: deficiency in human and financial resources, as well as lack of access to bigger corporations.
“This is why the Chamber serves as a bridge by creating platforms for an interface between stakeholders”, she explained.
She emphasized the need for bigger corporations to join the Chamber, noting that “they have the capacity, competence, and hunger for higher level facilitation”.
While expressing the belief that the workshop will open new frontiers of business opportunities that will translate to increased employment and stimulation of local earning, Dr. Nwoga further noted some of the advantages accruable from businesses linking with PHCCIMA.
According to her, “PHCCIMA is the second largest Chamber of Commerce, first e-Chamber of Commerce in the country, and renowned for housing a one-stop-shop with various Federal agencies and business entities.
“The Chamber provides advocacy, advisory, mentorship, and a direct communication with embassies, trade missions, etc”, she said.
Also speaking, the Managing Partner/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of E & I Centre, Mr. Chika Chinwah, explained the reason for the workshop.
“The ‘Rivers State Local Enterprise Development Business Linkages Workshop’ is one of the strategies through which E & I, PHCCIMA, and other key stakeholders seek to broaden its outreach activities, particularly to large corporations and multinationals in Rivers State and the Niger Delta”, he said.
According to him, it is intended to provide a platform for local enterprises to establish sustainable business relationships with large multinational and corporate buyers of goods and services in the State.