American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt

Efforts to establish an American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt date back to the 1950s, when American and Egyptian business representatives initiated a dialogue with both the United States Council of the International Chamber of Commerce and the United States Chamber of Commerce. The idea remained dormant until the initiation of the “Open Door Policy” and the subsequent call for the formation of the Egypt-U.S. Business Council and the U.S.-Egypt Business Council, which were officially launched in 1979 at the U.S. Chamber’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., during a ceremony with then-Presidents Jimmy Carter and Anwar Sadat. As a first resolution, the Councils called for the establishment of an American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt.

Finally, in 1981, substantive progress was made towards the formation of the Chamber under the organization of George DeBakey of Rockwell International, who recruited prominent Egyptian and American business leaders who shared his aspiration to establish an organization committed to promoting the bilateral economic relationship. In 1982, AmCham Egypt was officially founded as the 44th American Chamber of Commerce abroad and the first in the Middle East. On January 18, 1983, the Chamber elected its first Board of Governors. In October 1983, the first board meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt was convened.

AmCham Egypt and AmCham Egypt Inc. will continue to pursue their overall mission of advancing bilateral trade and investment by promoting a friendlier business environment in Egypt, facilitating communication, providing a network for sharing information, addressing common problems as well as presenting members’ views to both the Egyptian and U.S. governments.

With a membership base of more than 1,900 members, AmCham Egypt is one of the largest and most active overseas affiliates of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

AmCham Egypt and AmCham Egypt Inc. are governed by a constitution and set of bylaws. Their Board of Governors consists of 13 members elected to two-year terms. Advocacy work is carried out through specialized committees. AmCham Egypt and AmCham Egypt Inc. meet regularly with key government officials and visiting dignitaries on matters of concern to members.

For more than 34 years, AmCham Egypt has organized regular missions to Washington, D.C., where delegates interact with representatives from the U.S. administration, Congress, think tanks, multilateral organizations and news media.

AmCham Egypt also offers members a wide range of business services, including access to economic data, online resources, publications, human resource development services, video conferencing facilities and marketing tools.

AmCham Egypt is the permanent regional secretariat of the AmCham MENA Regional Council, which was established in 2005 by the American Chambers of Commerce of Abu Dhabi, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia. The objective of the Council is to foster increased collaboration and cooperation among members and promote business opportunities between the United States and the Middle East and North Africa region. AmCham Objectives:

• To promote the development of commerce and investment between the United States and Egypt.
• To be a direct liaison with the Chamber of Commerce of the United States and other chambers of commerce and business organizations, and to express the views of the local American business community to public and private interests in the United States.
• To provide a forum in which American business executives in Egypt and Egyptian business executives with American interests may identify, discuss and pursue common interests regarding their activities.
• To work with individuals and organizations in Egypt on matters of mutual interest.