At Sixth World Chamber Congress:

Hambantota Chamber of Commerce creates history

by Shirajiv SIRIMANE

Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce (HDCC) created history when they won the first place at the World Chamber Competition for Best Networking Project at the 6th World Chamber Congress in Malaysia last Friday.

HDCC partners, the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) and Manchester Solutions were also joint winners of this project.

The 2009 edition of the World Chambers Competition attracted 47 entries from 33 countries, from which 19 finalist projects were selected. The other three finalists for Best Networking Project were from Turkey, Serbia and Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The competition, organized by the ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF), is the only global awards program to recognize the most innovative projects undertaken by chambers of commerce and industry from around the world.

Director General of the Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce, Azmi Thassim, said that this achievement is a result of good work done through the partnership between HDCC and Manchester Solutions. "We are very happy at this significant achievement."

Deputy Chief Executive of Manchester Solutions, Drew Thomas, said, "We are pleased that our joint work achieved this recognition and I hope that the award will be a springboard for greater prominence for our work and the work of our respective organisations".

Following the tsunami in 2004, the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) and its service delivery company, Manchester Solutions (MS), decided to invest in a program to support the economic re-development of tsunami-affected areas.

Research was carried out in Indonesia and Sri Lanka to find suitable organisations and Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce (HDCC) in Sri Lanka was approached, as it is regarded as one of the most advanced district-level chambers in the country.

The Hambantota district of Sri Lanka which was also particularly affected by the tsunami disaster entered into an initial, three-year Partnership Agreement, to work together and share ideas in 2005, with GMCC and HDCC.

Should the partnership prove mutually beneficial and successful in its aims, then the Agreement would continue beyond this three-year timeframe. In 2008 a further three-year Agreement and joint plan was signed, reflecting the success of the first agreement and the two Chamber" commitment to further partnership working.

Richard Guy, Chief Executive of the Manchester Solutions Group said, "For over four years now we have been working closely on a series of development projects associated with the development of the Hambantota District as well as of HDCC itself.

This has included initiatives to support the economic development of Hambantota, to stimulate the local tourism industry, and also to improve HDCCâ's effectiveness by expanding its job placement services, improving member services, developing the Chamber's IT infrastructure, and generally supporting HDCC management development."

Azmi Thassim, Director-General of the Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce stated, "This achievement is a result of the very close and effective partnership which has been developed between HDCC and Manchester Solutions. It provides an excellent example of two organisations committing to long-term development and has delivered, and is delivering, highly valued results for HDCC and the wider District.