Commonwealth Greater Birmingham
Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce Contact: Jamila Davis T: 0121 607 1826
Make most of trade ‘advantage’ By John Lamb
Businesses in Greater Birmingham have been urged to exploit a huge “Commonwealth advantage” when seeking new export markets. Alan Gemmell, chief executive of the
Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), was speaking at the inaugural dinner of Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce (GBCCC). He told an audience of over 100 guests at
Aston Conference Centre that doing business with Commonwealth countries was 19 per cent cheaper because of many factors, including a common language and laws.
‘There are many opportunities in the Commonwealth and much of it is untapped’
He added: “The Commonwealth has shared
values and it’s vital for us now to think how we are going to build a trusted network. “All eyes will turn to Birmingham in a few
years when it stages the 2020 Commonwealth Games. We want to build people’s trust in the Commonwealth and encourage businesses to trust one another as a way of building better business. “We will support all SMEs who want to export
into Commonwealth markets. The Commonwealth is young and growing in its ambition and so is Birmingham, one of the youngest cities in Europe.” Earlier, guests stood for a moment of silence
in respect for the victims of the atrocity in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Commonwealth advantage: Rear - Paul Faulkner. Middle row Keith Stokes-Smith (left) and Alec Cameron. Front row, from left: Alan Gemmell, Jamila Davis, senior business development manager at GBCCC, and GBCC president Saqib Bhatti
Paul Faulkner, chief executive of the GBCC, of
which the GBCCC is part, said the Chamber created the Commonwealth section is a natural part of its substantial international operations. He said other reasons included opening new
markets in the wake of Brexit and the awarding of the 2022 Commonwealth Games to Birmingham. Keith Stokes-Smith, the first president of the
GBCC, said the fact that only nine per cent of British exports went to the Commonwealth was “totally unacceptable”.
He added: “There are many opportunities in
the Commonwealth and much of it is untapped by Greater Birmingham. The demand is out there for quality British products.” Alec Cameron, vice-chancellor of Aston
University, told the gathering, which included the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Yvonne Mosquito, that Aston was proud to have been a founding patron of the GBCCC and added that 70 per cent of its students were from the black ethnic minority community, many of them from Commonwealth countries.
Jamaica’s mixed economy is land of opportunity
Commonwealth Chamber is holding a special event on trading with Jamaica this month. President Keith Stokes-Smith takes a look at the Caribbean island and its attractions.
‘From each morning’s glorious sunrise until the sea swallows the sun at night, Jamaica presents a magnificent palette of colour, a kaleidoscope of beauty that makes our island the most precious jewel in the Caribbean’. That is a quote from ‘Visit Jamaica’, the
island’s official tourism site. For many of us, this is how we imagine Jamaica when looking to book a holiday and certainly, tourism is a major sector of the nation’s economy with an average of 4.3 million tourists a year. Jamaica is an upper-middle income country
with a mixed economy with both state enterprises and private sector businesses. Major sectors of the Jamaican economy also
include agriculture, mining, manufacturing, petroleum refining, financial and foreign exchange services.
Tourism and mining are the leading earners
of foreign exchange. Indeed, half the Jamaican economy relies on services, with half of its income coming from services such as tourism. With 2.9 million people, Jamaica is the
fourth-most populous country in the Caribbean. Due to a high rate of emigration for work since the 1960s, it has a large diaspora around the world, particularly Canada, the United Kingdom (including Birmingham), and the United States. While Jamaica’s main trading partner is, not
too unsurprisingly, the USA (52 per cent of total trade), others include: Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, China, the UK, Brazil and Japan. The top exports of Jamaica are aluminium
oxide, aluminium ore, (Jamaica’s significant bauxite deposits, the second largest in the world after Australia, allow it to export large
quantities), spirits, sugar, coffee, yams, mineral fuel, chemicals and beer. Top exports to the UK in 2018 were beverages, sugar, organic chemicals, vegetables and fruit. Its top imports include refined petroleum,
cars, crude petroleum, packaged medicaments, consumer goods, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery, transport equipment and construction materials. Top imports from the UK in 2018 were cars, consumer goods, specialised capital machinery and scientific instruments. The GBCCC’s ‘Trading with Jamaica’ event, in partnership with JAMPRO, a Jamaican government agency, will take place on 18 April at the Chamber offices in Harborne Road.
April 2019 CHAMBERLINK 41 Commonwealth Chamber Patron
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