Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome members and potential members. I would like to explain a few things starting with the IACCI mission, which is to invigorate the business community in Iraq by promoting an open-market economy and a democratic political system in Iraq. Iraqi American businessmen eager to rebuild war-torn Iraq have set up the IRAQI-AMERICAN Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IACCI, i-acci.org ) in collaboration with prominent Iraqi-American businessmen, private sector, non-profit organizations, U.S.A. agencies, business leaders and academics.
Who is IACCI?
When was IACCI established?
What is IACCI’s contact information?
What is the membership overview?
How can I join IACCI?
What vetting does IACCI do for members?
What is available for those who want an Iraqi membership?
Do you have any literature on membership?
What is Distinguished Membership?
What other types of membership are there?
What are the membership benefits?
“Impossible is Nothing”
Capacity Building
IACCI Expertise
Economic Development
Project Management
MNF-I & MNC-I
NAJAH
Empowering the Youth
Trade Facilitation
Evaluation
Future Development
Partial Projects list
IACCI stands for Iraqi-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Our mission is to invigorate the business community in Iraq by promoting an open-market economy and a democratic political system in Iraq. Iraqi American businessmen eager to rebuild war-torn Iraq have set up the IRAQI AMERICAN Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IACCI) (i-acci.org) in collaboration with prominent Iraqi-American businessmen, private sector, non-profit organizations, U.S.A. agencies, business leaders and academics.
IACCI mission is to invigorate the business community in Iraq by promoting an open-market economy and a democratic political system in Iraq. Iraqi American businessmen eager to rebuild war-torn Iraq have set up the IRAQI AMERICAN Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IACCI) (i-acci.org) in collaboration with prominent Iraqi-American businessmen, private sector, non-profit organizations, U.S.A. agencies, business leaders and academics.
IACCI aims to ensure that access to the market is open and fair. IACCI is a non-profit organization which vies for transparency, accountability and that the rule of law is enforced. A strong business community is based on business associations having an audible voice in the policy-making process. By serving as a platform to voice the business community’s needs and interests to political decision-makers, business associations contribute to the growth of participatory civil society and the development of a regulatory and policy environment conducive to private enterprise.
The IACCI assists in establishing a bilateral relationship between the private sectors of Iraq and the rest of the world through educational and economic programs, so that trade is facilitated and expanded. The IACCI has developed and implemented training and workshops in cooperation with American government agencies and private sector foundations and organizations on topics such as International Trade, Small Business Development, Public Policy Advocacy, Government and Public Relations, Leadership Development, Business Ethics, Corporate Governance, and Business English as a Second Language.
At this time IACCI has established relationships with Ethics Resource Center, Transparency International, Center for International Private Enterprise, US Chamber of Commerce, Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development, Millennium Relief and Development Services and many others to form a cohesive set of programs to address private sector needs in Iraq.
IACCI has large offices in Baghdad with a full-time staff of over 350 professionals dedicated to the preceding goals and mission. IACCI has a bilateral protocol with the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce, the umbrella organization over eighteen chambers of commerce throughout every major city in Iraq. Through this relationship IACCI has representation in every chamber across the country. IACCI has a strong cooperative relationship with all Iraqi Ministries, and most of the ministers are honorary members of IACCI. Additionally, IACCI has established a strong cooperation with all professional trade and industrial unions, including the Engineering Union, Construction Union, Doctors’ Union, Accounting Union, and Iraqi Bar Association.
IACCI has over 7150 members in Iraq, the United States, and the rest of the world. IACCI conducts regular seminars and conferences, bringing the business community into a dialogue with government ministers on topics of great general interest such as the new Iraqi Foreign Investment Law, privatization, also The IRAQI –AMERICAN Chamber of Commerce & Industry Invented Many other new depts. In the Chamber to help its members in providing them with new facilities that will distinguish them from the other businessmen in Iraq like the Buying Power Department, Leading Generation Department beside these two depts. We have the CCR & D&B No. Dept., which provides our members with the service of the International registration for the international Companies with Iraqi, Local companies, it is been done updating the new – membership Department. Finally, the Training Department to provide The Chambers members with the Training courses in English language, Computer soft ware, the Internet Café Free service to our members so that they can Surf through the web from our Location in Baghdad For all over the world.
The IRAQI AMERICAN Chamber Of Commerce and Industry is a non-profit organization formed in Los Angeles, California. Our website is i-acci.org .
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IACCI was established June 2003 .
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Baghdad - Iraq
Mobile: +964 7901437245
+964 7702933409
+964 7705814151
Email: [email protected]
ali.mem@iacci.info
i-acci.org
Erbil - Iraq
Erbil, Ain Kawa, Previous Habitat Bldg,
Next to the Vicinity of the large church
Next to the UN
Office: +964 66 225 1997
Mobile: +964 7504 618082
Email: [email protected]
www.iaccikurdistan.com
Sulaimaniyah - Iraq
Office: +447 03 2106850
+447 03 2121025
+964 53 31932502
Email: [email protected]
www.iaccikurdistan.com
Amman-Jordan
Shmisany, Abdul Hameed Sharaf St.
Strand 2 Bldg. Second Floor
Office: +962 6 5689455
Email: [email protected]
www.iacciamman.com
United States of America
Los Angeles, California
Tel: 1-877-BIZ-IRAQ / 1-877-684-5162
Email : [email protected]
More Details
San Diego, CA 92127
15265 Maturin Drive #184
Office: 858-613-9215
Washington, DC office
Tel.: 877-BIZ-IRAQ
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IRAQI-AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY continues to grow since its founding and establishment in the state of California in May, 2003. Each year brings a new level of development in the IACCI membership and the kinds of services that IACCI offers to these members.
Here is a brief breakdown of IACCI’s membership plans:
• Private Business Members
o Classic ($250/year)
o Silver ($1500/year)
o Gold ($3000/year)
o Gold Plus ($5000/year)
• Government Members (for individual government employees) ($10/year)
• Individual Members (for independent individuals) ($100/year)
• International Members
o Individual Members ($500/year)
o Business Membership ($1500/year)
o Corporate Membership ($3000/year)
o Elite Corporate Membership ($5000/year)
• Women Members ($50/year)
All members have access to IACCI’s broad range of services, including business development skills training, English language training, IT training, international business practices consulting, assistance with acquiring D&B numbers, trade show invitations, Free Trade advertising, tenders, international shipping (DHL/FedEx, etc.), buying power, lead generation, website development and hosting, email, brochures, letterhead, business cards, domestic and foreign company registration, international driver’s license, and much more. (Download PDF)
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You have two options: The first, simply fill out a membership form by hand and pay the annual fees. Second, exhibit at or sponsor DBX! DBX sponsors and exhibitors receive a free annual membership in IACCI. Otherwise, membership applications can be picked up from our office in Arasat, Baghdad or downloaded from our website at i-acci.org
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In general, there is a shortage of financial or other critical information available for most Iraqi companies. This being said, the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry has worked diligently from the start to gather the most complete and accurate information on all of our members. As a catalyst of successful business relationships, we see it as our duty to make this information available to all other member companies for the mutual purpose of building cooperation and creating contracting opportunities between member companies.
In this regard, the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IACCI) has taken the following steps to move towards this end:
• We have upgraded our membership application to include over 13 pages of data that resides on an SQL server with state-of-the-art data mining and warehousing technology. All of this has been accomplished and is maintained by our in-house Iraqi IT experts. Our talented IT team makes it possible for us to continue to improve, update and reflect the needs of the marketplace and our members.
• Our database includes detailed categorization of member companies according to the standards of the SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) and the NAICS (North American Industrial Classification System). This allows us, for example, to locate instantly all spare parts suppliers in the city of Hilla, Iraq that are members of Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
• Many times the prime contractors require prospective subcontractors to have D&B numbers and register in the CCR. The Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry obtains Dun & Bradstreet numbers for our members and is the only organization that not only offer the service, but at a substantial discount to its members. We also register the company requesting a D&B number in the CCR (Central Contactor Registration) database, obtaining the company’s NCAGE number in the process for free.
• IACCI has recently been in negotiations with Dun & Bradstreet, perhaps the most prestigious and widely recognized company rating and financial information company to offer the D&B rating service. This rating is recognized all over the world as an excellent tool to qualify customers and suppliers.
• Leveraging these features, the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry offers vetting services for its international members, so that we may provide your company with more in-depth ground checks and assurances of potential business partners’ credentials.
• Under the terms of this new service, IACCI is obligated to fulfill the following items within ten days upon receiving the name of the company to be vetted along with POC’s and contact information.
THE COST FOR VETTING IS $250 AND INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:
• Basic and necessary information like company size, locations, and assets, all financial documents and annual reports, number of employees, name of all partners and important manger, divisions or other affiliations for partners and company etc. (please see the attached IACCI Business Membership Application).
• Check of registration with the Ministry of Trade or Ministry of Industry, and all other potentially fictitious name registrations with all relevant government departments or agencies.
• A visit to company main offices in Baghdad or other area in Iraq for verification and authentication of all the above information.
• Visits to other premises critical to fulfillment of potential contract duties.
• Report of last year’s financials provided by the company accountant.
• Cross-check of bank references.
• Verification and cross-check of references associated with at least 3 contracts (trade activities) fulfilled or under fulfillment within the last one to two years.
• Cross-check of two additional references provided by the company.
• The submission of a full report presenting the results of this vetting check including a certified bank statement of the last 6 months’ banking activities.
• Special discounts apply for IACCI Business, Corporate, and Elite Corporate Members.
• For more information about IACCI Vetting Services, please contact [email protected]
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You have two options: The first, simply fill out a membership form by hand and pay the annual fees. Second, exhibit at or sponsor DBX! DBX sponsors and exhibitors receive a free annual membership in IACCI. Otherwise, membership applications can be picked up from our office in Arasat, Baghdad or downloaded from our website at i-acci.org .
IACCI has a membership tailored for you, with over 3.5 year experience and over 7000 members we know what you are looking for, just ask:
Commercial: ($250/Year) our regular membership for the vast majority of our members and it services them well, each year the majority of our members renew their membership regardless of where they might be, some send us there request for renewal by regular mail or email from counties where they are present today
Individual: ($100/Year), this membership is ideal for professionals like engineers or doctors that want IACCI membership in their pocket even when they do not own or operate a business
Honorary: (FREE) hundreds of honorary members from Iraqi ministers to deputy ministers and VIP’s that are eager and happy to become honorary members and aim to help our chamber and members alike
Government: ($10/Year) you might say what does government employee have to do with IACCI membership, well we say a lot. For those that carry the card, they become more familiar with us and are willing to help our members when they make a call on government offices. One might say it is a nice way to recognize each other.
Women owned businesses get special discounts: $100/Year. Women are everywhere in business and especially in small and family businesses where we want to encourage them to network and succeed, therefore we offer a special discount.
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There will be a special literature display for those companies that cannot attend. Pricing is very reasonable, just call or write for details. A special space in our new headquarters will be designed with elegant setup for literature, catalogue, brochures and information about our members to help them get additional exposure to other Iraqi and foreign companies visiting our office each and every day. Hundreds of members and companies visit our office weekly and as they wait to be served they will have opportunities to read all about your company in the specially designated literature display area.
Name Display: Special name tags will be displayed for each of our members in our lobby to give them additional distinction and it is our way of thanking them for becoming members.
Promotional literature: We have a team of Graphic Artist specializing in Coral Draw and Photo Shop which can help you with your logo design and promotional literature and brochures.
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Success has many faces and one way you can make sure that your company is recognized is by joining our elite group of Iraqi members. There are three types of membership: Gold Plus, Gold and Silver. (Read more in PDF)
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IACCI has a membership tailored for you with over 3.5 years of experience and over 7000 members we know what you are looking for. If you have questions, just ask, we’d love to help.
Commercial: ($250/Year) our regular membership for the vast majority of our members and it services them well, each year the majority of our members renew their membership regardless of where they might be, some send us there request for renewal by regular mail or email from counties where they are present today
Individual: ($100/Year), this membership is ideal for professionals like engineers or doctors that want IACCI membership in their pocket even when they do not own or operate a business
Honorary: (FREE) hundreds of honorary members from Iraqi ministers to deputy ministers and VIP’s that are eager and happy to become honorary members and aim to help our chamber and members alike
Government: ($10/Year) you might say what does government employee have to do with IACCI membership, well we say a lot, for those that carry the card, they become more familiar with us and willing to help our members when they make a call on government offices, you might say it is a nice way to recognize each other
Women owned businesses get special discount: ($100/Year), women are everywhere in business and especially small and family business and we want to encourage them to network and succeed and therefore we offer a special discount
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There are many, many benefits available to our members though some are not currently active. We are adding new benefits all the time as our goal is to have satisfied members. The details below will explain more about our benefits.
Networking:
IACCI works diligently to provide each Business Member with the opportunity to improve his business prospects through a variety of networking events
Visa:
IACCI through our offices in Amman, Jordan and our dedicated staff will help in whatever way we can to obtain visa entries for our members in Iraq. Although, this is a very challenging service, however we have obtained hundreds of visas to our members including over 50 visas to USA and other countries like Germany, China and others.
KRG:
IACCI has offices in Arbil and Sulaimaniyah with excellent relationship with KRG to help facilitate our members’ needs. A unique service we offer is weekly tenders form KRG emailed to our members and posted on our web sites, these are government projects in Kurdistan.
Structure of the KRG :
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) exercises executive power according to the Kurdistan Region’s laws as enacted by the democratically elected Kurdistan National Assembly (KNA). The current government, led by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, assumed office on 7 May 2006. The government coalition consists of several political parties. The coalition reflects the diversity of the Region’s people, who are Chaldeans, Assyrians, Turkmen, Yazidis, Kurds and others living together in harmony and tolerance. The parties in the coalition government are the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Kurdistan Toilers Party, Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party, Kurdistan Islamic Union, Kurdistan Communist Party, the Islamic Group and the Turkman Brotherhood Party. Among the cabinet members are a Chaldean, an Assyrian, a Yezidi, a Faili (Shia Kurd) and an independent Turkoman.
Loans:
IACCI and IMMDF have a special relationship to help our members and others obtain loans for new or existing projects. Iraq Middle Market Development Foundation (“IMMDF”) obtained its license to operate in Iraq in November 2004. IMMDF’s mission is to support the economic development of Iraq and assist in the creation of jobs for Iraqis by making loans to middle market businesses and Iraqi financial institutions. The goal of this program is to provide loans to entities that would not otherwise be able to secure financing on reasonable terms as a means of stimulating employment growth and the reconstruction
IACCI Web Site: IACCI from the beginning dedicated itself to have the best web site to help serve its members, i-acci.org, our members log in to their email, check the latest news or look up information on other members. Moreover each distinguished membership has its own web page or a link to their website
Legal Services:
IACCI has offered legal services to our members for the last three years, from company registration in Baghdad and Kurdistan to legal advice, our team of dedicated legal professionals are a phone call away. We are presently working with others to offer arbitration to help bridge the gap between going to court and settling out of court and our membership in ICC, International Chamber Corporation with their vast knowledge in international arbitration will help us accomplish our goal
Iraqi Delegations:
IACCI regularly organizes business delegations to other countries and obtain all travel requirements like visas and negotiate with organizers of those events to obtain discounts and even FREE travel and accommodation for our members. Recently we organized trips to several countries like Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Slovakia and the United Sates where we took the largest trade delegation ever between the two countries.
Advertising Design:
IACCI dedicated team of graphics design artist will assist you to create or improve your company image, we call it corporate identity, they have designed hundreds of adds for our members and they can help you present your company to the rest of the world.
Foreign Delegations:
IACCI regularly organizes visits by foreign delegations to Iraq and invites Iraqi members to meet, network, and sign contracts with foreign companies.
EXPO & Trade Show Organizer:
IACCI is a significant player and the only independent and member funded organization in Iraq with a full time staff dedicated to organize trade shows in Iraq and outside Iraq. Destination Baghdad EXPO “DBX” is our first trade show which was scheduled for May 25th in Baghdad at the historic Baghdad International Fair and some $700,000 was spend to renovate and plan for the historic event which was named the “Grand Opening to Iraq” by the Coalition Provisional Authority “CPA” and was unfortunately postponed to a later date in 2004 for reasons beyond our control. Visit www.dbxkurdistan.com. to see all 300 companies that committed to participate at this historic event like GE, GM, Mercedes, Microsoft, HP and Motorola and subsequently last June 25th, a smaller version of DBX was moved to Diyarbakir, Turkey to avoid security concerns. 130 companies exhibited at the Diyarbakir and the largest delegation of IACCI members, some 1500 where organized, visas, transportation, and accommodation was provided by IACCI.
BIAP BC:
Internet Service: BIAP BC will help domestic and international travelers conduct their email and internet needs through several laptops and a very reliable internet connection.
Telephone Services:
BIAP BC will offer Mobil, Landline, and Fax services to facilitate communications both local and international
.
Express Mail:
BIAP BC will provide express mail to handle incoming and outgoing express mail, the service will help business travelers receive their express packages at the center in the event they need a temporary address to receive their express package as well as outgoing express mail.
Travel Agency Services: BIAP BC will offer assistant with travel reservation and ticketing through arrangements with domestic and international airlines and travel agencies.
Hotel Accommodations:
BIAP BC will offer assistant in booking accommodations at BIAP or at Baghdad Hotels in addition to offering discounts at those locations, these arrangements will guaranty room availability at reasonable prices plus expert advice about the suitability and convince of those accommodations to the fit the needs of business travelers.
Taxi Service:
BIAP BC offers taxi service to the greater Baghdad metropolitan area at reasonable prices and secure arrangements, through our special vetting process.
Security Arrangements:
BIAP BC those has several arraignments’ with top security companies to offer you many alternatives for all your security needs from security escorts to secure housing.
Conference Facilities:
BIAP BC has two conference rooms, one large facility able to hold up to 50 conferees and the second up to twenty conferees and you can book your conference by calling us or email us and we will do our utmost to accommodate your needs. www.iraqbiz.info .
BIAP CC:
The newest project for IACCI is the first convention center at Baghdad International Airport, BIAP CC, this facility is getting the necessary renovation by MNC-I and will be ready by the end of 2007. IACCI will manage the facility and our first project is the first ever tradeshow and conference on POWER in Iraq, planned for March 2008 in cooperation and support by the Iraqi Ministries of Oil and Electricity.
Conferences & Seminars:
IACCI holds a series of networking and lectures in our new facilities outfitted with the latest state of the art meeting rooms and at other times when larger facilities where required we held seminars and conferences in larger meeting halls like the Baghdad Convention Center with some 1000 attendees at a time in some cases. Some 20 meetings were held just in the last six months and many more are planned for the future. A good example is the Program Management Office “PMO” where we had several networking sessions between our members and the Prime Contractors. $18.6 billion is committed by the United States to help rebuild Iraq and those Prime Contractors are looking for qualified Iraqi contractors to participate as subcontractors for the work ahead.
Our next major conference on employment generation at Rashid Hotel, Baghdad, July 24th where we are working with MNC-I and MOLSA and Iraqi private sector to create jobs of youth and especially VOTCH graduates
Next is our third annual investment conference in kurdisatn were we will focuses on POWER, coming up in August, 2007 .
Lead Generation:
Dedicated staff will help our members get all the leads they need to contact companies in the United States using Thomas Register, with some 165,000 companies. This service will expand to other countries as we acquire other directories. Members will tell us with they are looking for in products, brand names etc and we will do the rest.
Dun & Bradstreet:
IACCI will help its members receive Dun & Bradstreet, Central Contractor Registration (CCR) numbers. Those certifications and qualifications are often required to do business with Prime Contractors and foreign companies.
International Accounting Standards:
IACCI has signed a major agreement with a United States company to offer accounting services using Quick Books software which has the widest use among US companies. We will send our team of trained accountants in Quick Books to your company to gather all relevant data enter the data and validate the numbers to issue Financial Statements on your company. All statements will be sending to the United States for authentication and certification by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). The final product will have complete “Financial Statement” with Balance Sheet and Income Statement, notarized and reviewed by an expert CPA. This vital financial document can be used to submit with other qualifying documents to all foreign companies that require this data to help them evaluate your company’s financial strength for potential partnership and business contracts.
International Drivers License:
IACCI has a special relationship with International Driver License authority in Baghdad, Iraq, and all our members can obtain it though us. This document can be very useful driving in other countries and as Iraqis enjoy the freedom of mobility as other citizens in the world, this document will accepted more .
Web Sites:
Company web site is essential tool for all, regardless of your company size, you need to have a professionally designed web site for customers and others to reach you, email is not enough, your company accomplishments, business type, contact information must be presented in the best light possible. Our dedicated team of web site designers can help you with your project from domain registration, hosting, special emails, and design, ask us and we will be glad to help. Site Registration, Development and Hosting: IACCI has signed a major contract with a United States company to offer its members a complete web design, implementation and registration. IACCI has a large staff of IT people to help you in the process of developing your special web site, by working with you to choose the content and style of your web site. Additionally we will link your web site to IACCI web site and highlight the fact that you are a member. IACCI web site receives over 1500 visitors per day and additionally all our members need to log into our web site to reach their IACCI email which means more possibilities for members to be contacted by other companies interested in doing business with them. The internet is the most significant business tool in the world today and as you position your company for growth and opportunity you must consider this offer and evaluate the year long potential from having your company web site connected to IACCI web site.
Account Manager (Customer service):
IACCI will designate a dedicated “Account Manager” to serve members in all their needs. IACCI Account Manager will visit Business Members and collect vital data as he/she gets to know top management to help build a portfolio of capabilities and services offered by those members and then promote their services and products to other Iraqi members and foreign companies. Customer Service is number one in our book and many of our members like how we take care of them and come back to venue their membership, Year after year.
Surveys, Technical Studies:
IACCI will periodically conduct surveys, publish technical studies, develop needs assessment, and make recommendations on the state of private business in Iraq. Our first study “Business Outlook in Iraq” was conducted in May of 2003; the study published and covered twenty cities in Iraq and was commissioned by the US Chamber of Commerce and later used at the donor conference in Madrid, Spain to encourage donor nations to rebuild Iraq.
Training:
TADRIB Iraq is an extension of the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (IACCI) vision and mission. IACCI training initiatives are well-known in Baghdad and throughout other parts of Iraq as “TADRIB Iraq” – Training and Development Resources Initiative for Business in Iraq. TADRIB Iraq’s overarching goal is to provide “training and development for all Iraqis that leads to increased employability and overall economic growth.”
IACCI has been offering professional training for almost four years. During this time, it has completed over 550 courses given to Iraqi private individuals, university students, heads of companies, ministry and state company officials, IACCI members, and company staff. Included in this figure are 120 courses given to unemployed persons in partnership with USAID contractors Louis Berger Group (VEEG) and International Relief and Development “IRD” (CSP), 15 courses with the partnership of International Organization of Migration "IOM", and over 275 courses given for over 24 industrial companies owned by the Ministry of Industry in partnership with the US Military.
The vision of TADRIB Iraq is to see the Iraqi public sector official standing alongside the Iraqi private-sector businessperson and to see both of them on equal footing with their international counterparts. Having been cut off from the rest of the world for such a long period of time, Iraq lacks familiarity with certain practices, languages, and communication skills that have become central and essential to conducting business in the world today. IACCI aims to equip Iraqi trainees with necessary communication, computer, and business development skills, so that these men and women will be effective key players in the rebuilding of their country’s economy.
The total number of students trained to date by IACCI reaches to over 10,000 in nearly four years of work. IACCI has trained in 15 Iraqi ministries and regularly contracts with private and state companies to train mid- and senior-level managers.
Company Report:
IACCI company report is our new way top help our members have all they need to present their company in the best light possible, the report consisting of 10 pages documents all relevant data about the from financials, management, products and services, projects, goals and objectives and presents material in a nice printed document, all original backup documentations are checked by IACCI membership department. This service is offered to our distinguished members for free and is updated as required.
Business Edge:
Iraqi-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IACCI) is proud to be the exclusive provider of International Finance Corporation’s Business Edge Program in Iraq. These dynamic seminars aim to improve capacity of businesses across the full spectrum of Iraq’s economy.
WHAT IS BUSINESS EDGE?
Business Edge is the brand name for International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) international range of management training products and services, specially designed for mid-level to upper-level business managers. Business Edge includes 36 different management seminars in 5 different categories, namely: Marketing, Human Resources, Production & Operations, Finance & Accounting, and Productivity Skills. IFC designed this curriculum
• Based on first-rate international material from the global market
• As a practical means by which owners/managers can improve their efficiency and profitability.
• To be customized to fit the local business environment (i.e. the materials are in Arabic with local business examples)
The IFC Business Edge product range includes 36 self-study management workbooks, trainer manuals and train-the-trainer workshops, to local training providers. IACCI’s trainers use the Business Edge products as a foundation in designing their unique and innovative training seminars.
EMAIL:
IACCI issues a special email to all its members with 10 MB space, free of all advertising and with virus protection. For example if your name is Ali then you can have an email like [email protected] and you can log into your email on our web site www.https://i-acci.org. This gives you as a member a professional email rather than free emails like yahoo or hotmail that are available to anyone. You can use IACCI email to communicate with clients or prospective customer to project an image of professionalism and prestige.
Communication: Special and frequent emails are sent to all members alerting them to significant events to facilitate participation on a quick notice. Communication in Iraq is very difficult and at times we at IACCI do massive phone contacts and email our members to alert them to significant events and all members are encouraged and required to check their IACCI email on a regular basis.
Amman, Jordan: IACCI has maintained offices in Amman for the last two years, with so many of members moving between Iraq and Jordan and the special trading relationship between the two neighboring countries we needed to do that. Planes are underway to open more offices in Dubai and Cairo. Next time you are in Amman stop by and ask us to help you. www.iacciamman.com
Tenders:
IACCI has been very active to offer its members access to tenders in Iraq, our Arbil office has access first hand and before tenders are published in the local paper to all KRG tenders in Kurdistan. Our relationship with MNF-I, COR and MNC-I allow us to offer tenders to our members and hold special bed conferences at our new BIAP BC, www.iraqbiz.info as well as our relationship with Iraqi ministries where they also cooperate with us to offer tenders.
VISA CARD :
Today every business professional must carry a charge card instead of the old fashion cash, many places throughout the world require it even when you have cash, and it will also help you cover unexpected expenses when you are away from home. IACCI maintains special relationship with TBI, Iraq Trade Bank, www.tbiraq.com to offer the first VISA card in Iraq. Our distinguished members get the card for free and our gold plus members get $500 deposit in their account also. Stop by and get the details
Job Creation:
IACCI is involved in creating more jobs for qualified professionals in all fields and we believe there is nothing more important than to have more jobs to create opportunities to the widest number of professionals and then help those professionals increase their standard of living by increasing their pay scale. To that end we have a dedicated team at IACCI which interviews individuals, collect resumes and help with resume preparation and interview skills and then enter all data into a large database that can be used to offer foreign and Iraqi companies a pool of qualified employees. Our facilities are also available for prospective employers to interview potential candidates. In our own organization we have been able to increase our staff from few to over 130 in a matter of one year and also increase pay scales by 400% in some cases but never less than 25% in all cases and this is a standard part of our employment contract.
Iraqi Ministries:
IACCI has a very strong relationship with all Iraqi ministries and we dedicate a team of our staff to call on all ministries to establish a strong relationship and cooperation between the ministries, their departments and our members. Ministry officials participate in our seminars, conferences, trade shows and committees to help our members receive firsthand knowledge and access to important officials and help the ministries become more users friendly and assessable to the business community. In our DBX trade show we offered all ministries free booth space and helped with visual aids and coached them on ways to improve their communication with foreign and Iraqi companies. This effort will continue and strengthen as we offer the ministries free web site development, registration and hosting to improve communication between the ministry and the outside world. In past years the majority of business was conducted by the government and as Iraq becomes more independent and stable, and as significant revenues derived from oil and gas revenues become available, we see the public sector becoming more vital and significant component of business development in Iraq. Therefore we will devote the appropriate resources to make government more transparent and easier to work with for the private sector.
Kurdistan Offices of Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry:
IACCI maintains two offices in Arbil and Sulaimaniyah to serve our members in the area. Many of our members are relocating to Kurdistan or at least opining branch office and in addition we have over 700 members in the area. Our activities are many including our annual Kurdistan Investment Conference and our annual DBX Kurdistan Tradeshow in November in the city of Sulaimaniyah with an investment of over $3 million in 2006.
Buying Power:
IACCI has obtained a special discount to its members from shipping companies like DHL, FedEx and others like banks, insurance companies to help them utilize Group Baying Power. A dedicate team of our organization will work with vendors and members are encouraged to become suppliers in this program by making special arrangements with IACCI to offer our 6000 members special discounts. By having this special win relationship where members can show their IACCI ID can get excellent discounts from reputable venders verified by IACCI and venders get the extra sales from this significant buying power. A special directory will be issued to all members to list such services and all participating merchants can buy additional space to advertise their products and services.
Free Trade:
First biweekly all business news publication in Iraq: Free Trade newspaper is a vehicle to promote investment and opportunity in Iraq through its editorial, factual statistics and studies, investigative reporting, success stories focusing on SME’s in Iraq that bravely managed to grow and succeed in spite of the odds against them and where they can inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
As we wetness the transformation of Iraq from decades of neglect and totalitarianism into a free society based on freedom of expression, democracy, free trade and the rule of law . Iraq will require massive infusion of capital and investment in all fields and sectors from infrastructure, upgrading and training human capital to rebuild Iraq, one thing remains missing and that is a reliable vehicle to disseminate business and economics information and data in a reliable and accurate fashion and distributed widely to the largest possible audience in the business community, public sector inside Iraq and willing and eager investors from outside Iraq.
Free Trade started its first issue and from this humble beginning today it continues to publish a biweekly issue with eight pages, with a staff of five and is the only publication that addresses business issues in Iraq.
Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry presently publishes Free Trade newspaper a biweekly publication dedicate to cover business news, rebuilding Iraq stories and reports, success stories with SME’s, relevant facts and figures on business opportunities, employment opportunities, government works, educational and training opportunities and other significant and related issues to the rebuilding of Iraq.
Free Trade is widely sought as the only place to have all business news on Iraq but we still have ways to go and many requirements that must to be addressed to make Free Trade truly unique and invaluable contribution to Free Enterprise in Iraq.
“Free Trade”, an innovative newspaper espousing the principles of new Iraq built on the foundation of free trade and higher standards of living for all Iraqis. Which can only happen if more Iraqis are committed to the value of freedom, personal responsibility and cooperation? Free Trade mission is focusing on the value of free trade and economic freedom.
Free Trade editorial content includes:
In-depth investigative reporting on areas of opportunity for Free Trade like Iraq joining the World trade Organization (WTO), success stories of governmental or private sector where the principles of Free Trade and transparency are working as well as areas where restrictive policies and laws are still in effect.
Special issues focusing on Industry, Trade, Investment, Banking, Oil and Iraq Rebuilding. Free Trade is an advocacy type of publication working with 18 IACCI committees to tackle all sorts of industry specific obstacles and ways to promote Free Trade in those sectors.
Work closely with Iraqi ministries to make them customer friendly, transparent and responsive to the private sector in Iraq. Promote special relationship with the US and develop more cooperation and understanding between the two business communities through bilateral trade delegations (where FT has recently taken the largest single trade delegation of some 35 Iraqi business men and women to the United States to attend the largest construction expo Con Expo in Las Vegas, NV and additional conferences in cooperation with the Beverly Hills chamber of commerce in Los Angeles) and for the benefit of the entire Middle East emphasizing democracy, personal freedom, freedom of the press, responsible citizenship.
Today Free Trade is twenty-four pages full colors biweekly newspaper printed in Arabic and English with some of the best and brightest journalist and research analyst with PhD degrees in economics, commercial law, and journalism. Our motto at IACCI is “Impossible is Nothing” and we practice and live by it every day.
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“Impossible is Nothing” is not just a slogan or set of empty words but a truth that all of us at IACCI strive to live by and experience every working day. We at the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce & Industry have shown the way to be an inspiration to others. It is moments like these that we reflect on and witness the incredible times we are currently experiencing in Iraq as we live here. It is dangerous and challenging, yet for the first time we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We can see things that we only dreamed of before where we can learn, grow, be free and pursue our ideals. We at the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry want to embody this vision for a better Iraq built on effort, ambition, hard work and rewards.
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Commerce and industry as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGO) have been active in capacity building in Iraq by providing training, education, jobs and economic growth. The Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry addresses a wide range of issues and programs, including trade facilitation, training including vocational and educational programs, data management, evaluation and survey instruments, women’s empowerment and training, and the development of the private sector by facilitating relationships between international and Iraqi investors, Iraqi companies and the Iraqi Ministries including regional and local level offices.
Since the beginning of the US presence in 2003, there have been a number of attempts to establish business centers and civil society institutions to assist the evolution of the Iraqi business community away from a government-controlled mentality toward privatized business initiatives.
The role played by these kinds of organizations is essential in leading the way for change and for strengthening the Iraqi business private sector. The successful establishment of these types of institutions requires an administrative body characterized by a combination of a number of key elements: extreme knowledge of and sensitivity to cultural climate of Iraq, extensive familiarity with both western and eastern business practices, concrete capabilities with an entrepreneurial sense to implement programs and projects, ability to operate and maintain accessibility in an environment that is not secure or stable and finally, and dedicated commitment to succeed.
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Mission Statement
IACCI's primary mission is two-fold: A) the creation of new business through networking forums, and B) building the capacity of key Iraqi private and public sector elements that are necessary to growing the overall national capacity to support a vital private sector in Iraq.
IACCI aims to invigorate the small business community in Iraq by bringing businesses together and moving them forward in a proactive and constructive manner. In doing this we are promoting open-market economy and a democratic political system in Iraq. This will ensure that access to the market is open and fair.
IACCI promotes transparency, accountability and that the rule of law is enforced in Iraq. A strong business community is based on business associations having an audible voice in the policy-making process. This will contribute to the growth of participatory civil society and the development of a regulatory and policy environment conducive to private enterprise.
Goals
• Promote open-market economy in Iraq through a competitive system where the rules are the same for all participants, corruption is eliminated and transparency and accountability are strengthened.
• Build simplified compliance systems for small businesses by fostering the participation of business groups in the day-to-day process of government decision-making and developing laws and institutions necessary for an open market-oriented economy.
• Facilitate access to and establish consistent long term relationships between the private sector and the Iraq Ministries for the purpose of progressive commerce and trade implementation and practices.
• Serve as a catalyst concerning the reactivation of the professional associations and guilds including the Iraqi Industrial Federation, the Contractors Union and the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce by conducting free and fair elections to promote the emergence of representative intermediaries.
• Encourage entrepreneurial climate and culture in addition to expanding access to business and economic information necessary for informed decision-making.
• Development and fundraising for specific projects in support of the organization of networking events, professional development education, training, policy related events and other crucial projects as needed, to support and compliment the goals of IACCI, its members and the private sector community in Iraq.
• Promote the development of certain public sector elements that are key to the success of the establishment of an environment that allows the private sector to flourish in Iraq. This is done through training and awareness programs.
• To assist and establish long term US policy orientation towards Iraq on Congressional, White House and Governmental Agency levels including delegate visitation.
• Facilitate access to an economic focused relationship between the private sectors of Iraq and the international community through “Free Trade” magazine (IACCI’s premier commerce and industry trade publication), educational seminars and programs, events including the EXPO Trade Show, cross-cultural activities and high level economic programs for the benefit of expanded long term sustainable growth, investment and expansion of the commerce, technology, industry, civil society and private sectors in Iraq.
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Since 2003, the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce has expanded to become a highly respected, professional, full service organization approaching 7,000 Iraqi and international membership including Iraqi Ministries and local governments. This networking is crucial to the capability of providing sustainable services. From the beginning, IACCI has implemented capacity building components within the organization itself to include staff training and development, especially with young people. The staff has grown from a small group back in 2003 to over 250 full time employees. This number swells to over 300 or more during special projects such as the trade show “EXPO” and other equally large projects. IACCI has four offices in Iraq, a branch in Jordan and an office in the United States. IACCI’s expertise in Iraq:
• Strategic planning and logistics
• Iraq Ministries Public Relations and Advocacy
• Grants management
• Program design and implementation
• Resource development and management
• Networking both governmental and trade including NGO
• “Train the Trainer” programs
• Civil Society and Iraqi business training and education
• Cross-cultural communication and facilitation
• Financial planning and training
• International and indigenous public relations
• Capacity building through seminars, conferences and delegations
• Technical assistance
• Engineering design and management
• Construction project design and implementation
• Job Creation including Iraqi Job Databank and Career Development Counseling
• Media, marketing, advertising and graphic arts
• Public Relations and Media Relations
• Publication development and publishing
• IT programming, design and training
• IACCI Training and Development Resources Initiative for Business in Iraq (TADRIB Iraq)
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Coordination on a local level between governments, international and Iraqi organizations, businesses and civil society is the key to sustainable growth and rebuilding of Iraq. Iraq is a recovering country, sensitive to pluralistic ethnic and religious groups, political entities and outside elements influencing economic growth. This resulted in the need for an indigenous leader and role model. The Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce has become a key central organization of co-operative companies, organizations and governmental agencies working together successfully in rebuilding Iraq through business development, training of a diversity of workers, program development and management through a natural synergy. The US and Coalition forces (Provincial Reconstruction Teams –PRT’s) working in Iraq heavily consult with IACCI on economic development projects and matters related to business generation in Baghdad and all over Iraq.
The Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce is best known for its reputation and work in providing business development support and a networking foundation to all levels of the economic society including the Iraqi Ministries, the regional and local governments and the remarkable diversity of industries throughout Iraq including, but by no means limited to the following:
Wholesale Trade of Durable and Nondurable Goods, Heavy Construction equipment, Special Trade Contractors, Miscellaneous Store Retailers, Crop Production, Truck Transportation, Real Estate, Scientific and Technical Services, General Merchandise Stores, Automotive (new dealer and service industries), Food Manufacturing, Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing, Utilities, Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores, Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing, Hospitals and Health care industry, Animal Production?, Wood Product Manufacturing, Building, Developing, and General Contracting, Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing, Water Transportation, Warehousing and Storage, Machinery Manufacturing, Apparel Manufacturing, Printing and Related Support Activities, Broadcasting and Telecommunications, Information Services and Data Processing Services, Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing, Textile Mills, Textile Product Mills, Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing.
IACCI leverages its relationships with the Iraqi ministries, with whom it has been interfacing since the beginning of its formation. In addition the IACCI has strong relations with the US Government agencies in the I-Zone, the US and Coalition military and their contractors, the other foreign commercial missions, and the Iraqi business associations. Currently, IACCI is providing assistance with the execution of economic development projects at the Baghdad International Airport as well as in and around Baghdad (including Taji and Iskandiriya), Kirkuk, Mosul, Al-Anbar Province (Ramadi), and throughout southern Iraq with these agencies. The Chamber also works with regional and local governments (the Kurdistan Regional Government), non-governmental organizations, communities, military and security forces, hospitals and schools, including universities, in order to make positive changes through economic development on a civil society level.
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IACCI has extensive experience in its last four years of operations in a volatile Iraq. Project management has included the management of large-scale training programs, grant programs, arranging and organizing logistics for major events involving numerous different parties - private sector and government over a geographic scope spanning the entire country, extensive training both educational and vocations, international trade and development, and renovation and facility building.
IACCI has extensive experience in its last four years of operations in a volatile Iraq. Project management has included the management of large-scale training programs, grant programs, arranging and organizing logistics for major events involving numerous different parties - private sector and government over a geographic scope spanning the entire country, extensive training both educational and vocations, international trade and development, and renovation and facility building.
One excellent example was the Kurdistan DBX international trade show and conference held in Erbil, Iraq in 2005, and in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq in 2006. At both events, there were approximately 94,000 people in attendance over a three day period who visited over 600 exhibitors. Challenges involved in the Kurdistan DBX Trade Show and Conference were numerous. IACCI was able to take into consideration and find solutions for:
1. Provision of the venue, when there was no suitable venue to be found in either Erbil or Sulaimaniyah,
2. Provision of adequate suitable accommodations, when the number of people that the hosting city can accommodate is extremely limited (not more than 300 rooms at 4-star level),
3. Transportation of international attendees coming from outside of Iraq to allow them to reach the venue, (this is in a situation where the international airport had not been accredited until just weeks before the event was scheduled to take place), and
4. Security provision for some 5000 participants located in multiple venues throughout the host city, when all of the country was experiencing random attacks of terrorist insurgents.
IACCI’s result for the above lay in effective organization and problem solving with multiple parties involved in the production of the event. The following are some examples of the ability of the Chamber on organizing and problem solving:
• The exhibition hall for the event was constructed under direct supervision of IACCI Executive Vice President and engineer, Yousif Al-Hardan in a record time of two months, involving importation of materials from neighboring Turkey and organization of over 100 laborers.
• In coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government, IACCI was able to secure the use of over 500 rooms for the trade show participants in the brand new housing complex constructed for use of the Sulaimaniyah University for its students.
• With regards to transportation, IACCI was able to negotiate with Kurdistan Regional Airlines to change their flight schedules to accommodate direct flights from Dubai to Erbil and later Sulaimaniyah that coincided with the opening dates of the event.
• Finally, regarding security, IACCI coordinated with the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure that intense security measures were in place at each of the venues for the event, including sniffing-dogs for explosives and modern electronic detection equipment. The Kurdistan Peshmerga army was mobilized to protect the cities of Erbil and later Sulaimaniyah, entrance points into the governate, roadways, and all venues.
This was a challenging accomplishment yet characterizes IACCI’s capacity to coordinate the diversity of team players needed to build such a huge event and included vocational training of workers.
Trade event projects continue with upcoming events for fall of 2007 and Spring of 2008. IACCI is has constructed a brand new facility in Sulaimaniyah for the 2nd Annual Kurdistan DBX Trade Show which occurred there in November of 2006. The project involved mobilization of construction firms and coordination with the Sulaimaniyah Chamber of Commerce and Regional Government. In addition to the Kurdistan show, IACCI is beginning preparations for the Destination Baghdad Expo (DBX) in the Baghdad International Airport for April of 2008, in cooperation with the Multi-National Corps of the US Military, the Iraqi Airways, and Iraqi Civil Aviation of the Ministry of Transportation. Preparations for this event involve establishing hotel accommodations and expo and conference facilities which is currently underway.
TADRIB
Another example of a strong project was the TADRIB Iraq Project which involved the training of 2900 Iraqis in four months in English communication and computer skills
TADRIB – Training and Capacity Development
Another example of a strong project was the TADRIB Iraq Project which involved the training of 2900 Iraqis in four months in English communication and computer skills. This involved the opening of two independent training centers in addition to the center already existing in the IACCI headquarters. Since that time, TADRIB has trained over 10,000 Iraqi professionals in a wide number of subjects.
The TADRIB mission statement is as follows: “Training and Development for all Iraqis that leads to increased employability and overall economic growth.” TADRIB is an Arabic word meaning “training,” and is an acronym standing for “Training and Development Resources Initiative for Business.”
TADRIB goal is to truly fulfill the second part of the IACCI mission to raise the capacity of the Iraqi private sector to conduct business with global skills. IACCI has found, however, that raising the private sector capabilities necessitates attention given to the public sector as well to ensure that cooperation between the two will be mutually beneficial and not of a competitive nature.
True to the initial vision of the IACCI training program, IACCI has consistently offered courses to the Iraqi Ministries, Iraqi businessmen and women, its members and the public sector since the inception of the training program at IACCI in January of 2003. Training was first provided through a self-funded pilot project involving US teachers, then continued through a grant from the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), and finally grafted in to the TADRIB Iraq training program, kicked off through a contracting arrangement with Louis Berger Group (prime contractor for USAID). Over the course of the past year, IACCI has contracted with several companies and organizations to provide training in communications skills to Iraqi officials and company employees. Excluding the USAID prime contracting partners, these companies include Orascom Telecom (Iraqna), Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), US Coalition Forces and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In all cases, training courses are provided in facilities that are well-equipped for classroom training, such as white-boards, and projectors with the necessary computer accessories. The halls are clean, comfortable and air conditioned. The training may occur in the community, or provided in the IACCI Training Facility located in Arrassat Al-Hindiya. This Training facility has been established through funds appropriated by USAID under the Vocational Training and Employment Generation project. The facility is fully equipped to handle large numbers of trainees, and is comprised of four main lecture halls, and a large computer lab facility, complete with all necessary implements required for lectures and classroom demonstrations.
The IACCI has an accomplished network of experts and consultants able to conduct training and education for all levels of society in addition to business application workshops. This network of consultants, experts and professional trainers includes specialties in computer technology, English and other language courses, conflict resolution with Iraqi ethnic-religious approaches, cross-cultural communications, and peace building programs. The various vocational trainings include sewing and apparel, construction, masonry, electrical engineering, materials handling, retail, and educational development with local and western frameworks.
IACCI offers a line of professional business-related courses including: Human Resource Management, Art of Negotiation, General Administration, Project Management, Financial Management, Internet Computer Core Courses and Website Design, to name a few.
As of September, 2006, IACCI has been offering a new line of 35 different professional courses that are known as the “Business Edge” series, in partnership with the International
Finance Corporation (IFC) as IFC’s exclusive training provider in Iraq. As of March, 2007, over 4,500 small business owners, aspiring professionals, and state-company employees have been trained in the Business Edge program. It is administered by a dedicated staff of 60 persons, of which 50 are instructors.
In addition to the IFC Business Edge certification, IACCI offers joint certifications of completion with CIPE, IOM, USAID, IRD, and various Iraqi ministries. IACCI is aspiring to become a Cambridge Center, able to offer certification from Cambridge University in the near future.
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IACCI is a prime contractor with US Government, carrying out a number of projects that involve training and consulting efforts for both the US Department of State (Embassy) and the Coalition Forces. Over the course of the last year, IACCI has successfully maintained execution of the following projects:
Training and Consulting with MNF-I
IACCI is a prime contractor with US Government, carrying out a number of projects that involve training and consulting efforts for both the US Department of State (Embassy) and the Coalition Forces. Over the course of the last year, IACCI has successfully maintained execution of the following projects:
• Best Practice Business Seminars for Iraqi Ministry of Industry State Owned Enterprises (SOE’s). This project was initiated in November of 2006 with the goal of training the administration staff of over 23 SOE’s in and surrounding the Baghdad area. Participants have received training in 16 of the IFC Business Edge modules as well as basic computer operations. The goal of the 6-month program is to boost the capacity of the factory leadership to employ more efficient and complex business practices to process orders that will result in the re-hiring of thousands of unemployed persons.
• Iraq Vocational Education and Training Program. IACCI has conducted detailed assessments and mobilization plans for 8 vocational training centers throughout Iraq belonging to the Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The assessments and plans resulted in the purchase of millions of dollars of equipment for the centers as well as extensive renovations to prepare them for maximum efficient use to train unemployed persons in productive skills. Center locations were in Kirkuk, Mosul, Basra (2), Nasriya, Najaf, Kut, and Iskandiriya.
• Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) Business Center. IACCI is contracted with the US Military Civil Affairs to operate the BIAP business
center, leveraging the safe environment that the BIAP area provides to promote trade and economic development in Baghdad. Services the center offers include conference and networking organization, email and internet, ATM from TBI, express mail (DHL and FedEx), business consulting, training, and passenger support for travelers.
• Task Force for Business Stability Operations (TFBSO) in Iraq (known as the “Brinkley Team”) Support. IACCI has supported the efforts of the TFBSO with the collection and provision of detailed information on the SOE’s in which IACCI has actively consulted and trained to assist in their development.
• English Training for Iraqi Officials. IACCI is providing training to key employees in over 13 Iraqi ministries and key government offices with IRMO of the US Embassy. This project is underway and will involve training over 2500 officials in the English language before July of 2007 as a part of a capacity-building effort focusing now on raising the capabilities of the Iraqi government to perform effectively.
• Municipal Council Training in Baghdad. IACCI has been contracted to provide training in basic public administration for newly-hired permanent Baghdad neighborhood council employees covering all of Baghdad and the surrounding areas.
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IACCI is currently a team member with USAID prime contractor International Relief and Development (IRD), working on the Community Stabilization Program (known as “CSP”) involving generating employment and the creation of new businesses in strategic cities and areas in Iraq.
NAJAH – New Alternatives for Justice, Achievement, and Hope
IACCI is currently a team member with USAID prime contractor International Relief and Development (IRD), working on the Community Stabilization Program (known as “CSP”) involving generating employment and the creation of new businesses in strategic cities and areas in Iraq. IACCI is the Business Development implementing partner in CSP, operating under the name “NAJAH.” This includes business training and the distribution of a number of small and micro grants to new and existing business to promote employment generation. Current and complete activities with CSP include the following:
• Training of 290 unemployed persons in the Rusafa District of Baghdad in ESL, IT, and Business Skills.
• Implementation of a Small and Micro Grants Program in Baghdad targeting strategic neighborhoods. Grant awards are up to $15,000. Goals are to award approximately $5 Million in grants over the next year.
• Training of 875 unemployed persons in the Kadhemiya, Adhemiya, Mansour, Jihad/Bayaa, and Dora districts in Baghdad in Business Planning, Secretarial Skills, Accountancy Skills, and PR/Sales skills. Goal of the program is to make possible the employment of a minimum of 35% of the trainees.
• Training of 1000 unemployed persons in Kirkuk in Business Planning, Secretarial Skills, Accountancy Skills, and PR/Sales skills. Goal of the program is to make possible the employment of a minimum of 35% of the trainees.
• Training of 400 unemployed persons in Business Planning and award of grants to approximately 77 persons in AL-Anbar province (Ramadi and Fallujah). Grant awards are up to $50,000. Goals are to award approximately $700,000 in grants over the next year.
• Training of an additional 600 unemployed persons in the Karrada, 9 Nisan, Sadr City and surrounding districts in Baghdad in Business Planning, Secretarial Skills, Accountancy Skills, and PR/Sales skills. Goal of the program is to make possible the employment of a minimum of 35% of the trainees.
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IACCI prides itself on its interaction with both youth and women. IACCI’s staff and members represent a remarkable number of women and young people. The Chamber offers deep discounts to women members and encourages them to be a mentor for the younger and less experienced women and girls. Furthermore, IACCI is known for their required staff trainings for all staff, driving them to success with higher educational goals and skills. IACCI works with many Iraqi based women’s groups including specialized gender-oriented nongovernmental organizations for the purpose of promoting women’s issues and progress in the private sector and civil society.
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The first objective of the trade facilitation is to increase foreign direct investment which is crucial to achieving higher rates of sustained economic growth. It enhances opportunities for Iraq’s private sector firms to build strong economic structure, acquire new technologies, develop modern organizations, and gain access to overseas markets. It will allow Iraqi economy to expand businesses, create higher-paying jobs, generate exports, and increase government revenues. On this level, IACCI has conducted and is currently organizing several conferences to promote new investment laws issued by the central and regional governments to disperse information to potential investors.
The second objective is to generate concern and increase activity on the part of Iraqi companies to invest in their own country and seize the opportunities at hand. This entails improving the present opportunities, creating new opportunities and taking an active role in initiating international business contacts. These steps have resulted with increased investment, sustainability and creation of jobs in Iraq.
The third objective is to facilitate the concerns of the Iraqi business community to have a voice in the creation and amending of government trade policies. IAACI’s participation in commerce and industry provides the Iraqi business community with a sense of self-empowerment, through education and assistance in the development of effective marketing materials including the provision of opportunities for interaction with the international communities through trade-show venues, trade delegations, strategic commercial correspondence, and other networking kinds of events.
The IACCI continues to adjust and react to the ever-changing Iraqi environment. Taking initiative, IACCI has organized, (self-) funded, and begun implementing the following programs that have a direct impact on the achievement of its objectives:
• Networking
• International Delegations
• Iraqi Delegations
• Vetting
• Surveys, Studies
• Iraqi Ministries
• Job Development and Career Support
• EXPO and Trade Show Organization
• International and Iraqi Conferences & Seminars
• Lead Generation
• Monthly News Magazine, Free Trade
• Weekly Newspaper, Free Trade
• Mass Communication
• IACCI Buying Power
An example of IACCI’s abilities in the field of trade facilitation and job development is the organization of the Iraqi delegation to the US in March, 2005, for the CONEXPO/CONAGG trade show in Las Vegas. According to the US DOC, this delegation was the “largest (private sector) delegation of Iraqis to the United States EVER,” and it was coordinated and chiefly organized by IACCI, cooperating with US government and private sector organizations including the DOC, Beverly Hills Chamber, VEGA (USAID contractor), FCS in Baghdad, US Embassy in Jordan, and multiple service providing companies.
Private Sector
Is there any report on Iraq private sector? Yes, a study entitled: “Strong Optimism for Economic Growth: Results from a Survey of the Conditions and Expectations for Private Enterprise in Iraq”
Yes, a study entitled: “Strong Optimism for Economic Growth: Results from a Survey of the Conditions and Expectations for Private Enterprise in Iraq”
In August 2003, the IRAQIAMERICAN Chamber of Commerce and Industry conducted a field survey of the Iraqi small and medium sized business sector to assess the current economic environment in Iraq, solicit their views on the impediments to economic growth, and gauge their business plans for a post-Baathist economy. This survey was commissioned by the US Chamber of Commerce to help evaluate the business conditions in the private sector in Iraq. Already on the streets of every city in Iraq, a renewed life is evident. Entrepreneurial spirit is blossoming because of a widespread belief that conditions will improve despite current difficulties in the security situation, unclear property rights, and legal and traditional barriers to entrepreneurship.
This survey represented the first effort to gather the views of the Iraqi business sector of Iraq. It provides an outlook on the short and long term economic picture, establish reconstruction priorities, and identify future areas for improvement. Its intended audience is Coalition and Iraqi policy-makers, the international community, non-governmental organizations now operating in Iraq, and, most importantly, the Iraqi private sector itself.
The survey found that the Iraqi business community holds a strongly optimistic outlook on future economic growth. A resounding 58% of those surveyed believe that the economy will be better in six months. Unfortunately, employment has suffered since the recent military action, but it is already showing signs of recovery. For the complete survey results see the IACCI website (i-acci.org).
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The IACCI is known and respected for their exceptional and extensive databases concerning commerce, industry, statistics and job listings. IACCI employs over 20 staff to continuously update, maintain and develop new databases for use by commerce, industry, the Iraqi Ministries, international organizations and governments. Prior to 2003, there were few resources concerning private sector, commerce and industry and civil society.
Furthermore, IACCI conducts surveys, market research studies, needs assessments, technical studies and makes recommendations on the economic state of Iraq including private sector in commerce and industry. Commissioned by the US Chamber of Commerce and later used at the donor conference in Madrid, Spain to encourage donor nations to rebuild Iraq, the first study “Business Outlook in Iraq” was conducted back in May of 2003.
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IACCI continues to move ahead with the development of its programs to promote a vital private sector-based economy in Iraq. Plans are underway to open a major and active branch in Dubai to reach out to the thriving regional business hub that is there. IACCI hopes to leverage its experience in business match-making along with its facilities at BIAP and in Sulaimaniyah to encourage foreign companies and investors to actually come to Iraq, laying the foundation for future and prosperous business relationships.
In addition to this, IACCI looks to continue to support the efforts of the coalition and international community to see Iraq stabilize and develop through vital participation in programs that lead to this end.
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Below is a partial list of projects, programs, involvements, accomplishments of the IACCI including a partial listing of partners, supporters and relationships.
IACCI Strategy Committees:
Banking, Finance & Insurance, Customs & Taxation, Women in Business, Health, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Instrumentation, Small and Mid-size Manufacturing , International Donor Programs, Legal Affairs, Marketing, Sales & Public Relations, Real Estate, Trade & Commerce, Construction & Infrastructure Development, Environment, Human Resources, Information & Communications Technology, Investments & Capital Markets, Petroleum, Farming, Agriculture & Food, Electricity& Power, Transport, Travel & Tourism, Textiles, Clothing & Cosmetics, consumer Products, Quality Control and ISO 9000, Continuing Education, and Vocational Training.
TADRIB
(Training and Development Resources Initiative for Business in Iraq) – Comprehensive Training
Sample of Public Training Institutions: The Ministry of Youth and Sports, Baghdad University, and Salahadin University in Erbil
Sample of private companies and organizations trained:
Orascom, IOM Course / Residence, IOM Course / Passport Authority, Commercial Bank of Iraq, Iraqi Central Bank, Dar Al-Salaam Bank, Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA), Sardam Institute in Erbil and Mustaqbal Institute, Dijla College and Al-Rajih Institute in Baghdad
Sample of Iraq Ministries trained by IACCI:
Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Industry and Minerals, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Electricity, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Displacement and Migration, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Housing & Construction, Ministry of Oil, Ministry of Human Rights, Ministry of Interior (Residency), Ministry of State for Tourism, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
Sample of Mega Projects:
Projects including construction, vocational training and multi-level cooperative team work in the following areas: governments, business, commerce, industry, individuals, nonprofits, NGO, community, military
- Destination Baghdad Expo - Diyarbakir
- Rebuilding Iraq Kurdistan DBX Trade Show and Conference in Erbil (2005)
- 2nd Annual Rebuilding Iraq Kurdistan DBX Trade Show and Conference in Sulymaniya (2006)
- 2006 World Ag Delegation (Special guests of Largest Agricultural Show)
- CONEXPO/CONAGG trade show delegation to Las Vegas
- WEFTEC Conference Delegation
- IACCI Conference “Private Sector Challenges and Opportunities” - Baghdad
- Building New and Renovations – Baghdad, Erbil, Basra
- VOTECH Consulting and Project Implementation
- Ministry of Industry SOE Training in Business and Computer Skills
- USAID CSP Small and Micro Grants Program in Baghdad and other cities in Iraq
- USAID CSP Business Training in Baghdad and other cities in Iraq
- Iraqi Ministry Capacity Development Training
Sample Partnership with USAID Prime Contractors:
Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA), Louis Berger Group/the Services Group (LBG/TSG), International Relief and Development (IRD), MSI (Tatweer)
Sample of Conferences
- "Ajex,” an international trade show - Amman, Jordan
- “A Nation to be Rebuilt” conference- Amman, Jordan
- Iraqi investment law conference - Baghdad
- "Out Reach” international trade show
- Rebuilding Iraq” conference and show
- Contractors Luncheon featuring Steven Sussens from the Project Management Office (PMO – now "PCO") of the CPA
- Iraqi ministries networking conference
- 1st Annual IACCI Conference for Investment Promotion
- ADIPEC Conference in Abu Dhabi
Partial list of IACCI’s Major Partners, Supporters and Team Players
Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce Members (International and Iraqi)
Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), Iraqi Reconstruction Management Office (IRMO) in the US Embassy - Baghdad, Multi-National Corps (C9) - Iraq, Multi-National Division (G9) - Baghdad, US Military Civil Affairs Brigade, International Finance Corporation (IFC), US Institute for Peace (USIP), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Sulaymania Governor’s Office, Sulaymaniya Chamber of Commerce, UNESCO, UNDP, UNAMI, UNIDO, US Export Import Bank, Iraqi Middle Market Development Foundation (IMMDF), U.S. Department of Commerce, the World Bank, Housing Bank of Jordan, The US Chamber of Commerce, the Commercial Section of the US Embassy in Baghdad, the Cultural Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Baghdad, the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, DC, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), IRMO Office of Private Sector Development, Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources, Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture, Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals, Iraqi Ministry of Trade, Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, Iraqi Ministry of Justice, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, Iraqi Ministry of Environment, Iraqi Ministry of Housing & Construction, Iraqi Ministry of Oil, Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights, Iraqi Ministry of Interior (Residency), Iraqi Ministry of State for Tourism, Iraqi Ministry of Health, Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Baghdad Business Center, Trade Show Organizers, Jordan Ministry of Interior, Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iraqi Engineering Union, Project Management Office (PMO, now PCO), Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, Diyarbakir Chamber of Commerce, Customs Clearance at Ibrahim Khalil – Iraq, ADIPEC show and conference organizers, Organizers of BAU Trade Show, German Embassy in Baghdad, Educational Institutions in Egypt, Egyptian Embassy in Baghdad, American University in Cairo, US Embassy Economic Section in Baghdad, USAID Northern Representatives, USAID Baghdad Representatives, USAID Prime Contractors (VEGA, IRD and LBG), Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, KRG Prime Minister’s Office, CONEXPO Trade Show Organizers, Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, Chinese Mission Representatives in Baghdad and in Amman, Private Institutions, KRG security forces and Peshmerga, KRG Ministry of Finance, Erbil International Airport, Iraqi Customs Officials, Salahaddin University in Erbil, WEFTEC Trade Show Organizers, US Arab National Chamber of Commerce, Public officials, university professors and private Iraqi businessmen from Basra, Baghdad, and Kurdistan focused on Private Sector development, International Relief and Development Organization, Louis Berger Group (Izdihar), MSI (Tatweer).
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