SME promoted for five southern provinces

Vientiane, July 2 (KPL) The National Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with Champassak province commerce and industry chamber organised last month a seminar to disseminate the role and duty of the national chamber of commerce and industry .
The seminar also held to train the business association in order to promote the small and medium enterprise for the business association in the five provinces of Khammouane, Savannakhet, Saravane, Sekong and Champassak.
Speaking at the function, Ms. Sengdavong Bangonsengded, Deputy Secretary of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that her organisation was established in 1989 to represent the business units and trade operators.
So far, the industry and trade chamber has been set up in 13 provinces and it expected to be extended to all provinces in the Lao PDR. It has actually 1057 members.
The national chamber of commerce and industry is a social organisation under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Commerce, which seeks to unite individuals, groups and associations operating business enterprises within the Lao PDR with the aim of promoting the development of commerce, industry, handicraft production, finance and service industries.
It seeks: (i) to assist state and private agencies including groups and associations in the trade, industrial/handicraft/forestry, financial, transport, tourist, service and other sectors to operate their businesses freely in conformity with the regulations and laws of the Lao PDR; (ii) to represent the labour force nationwide with a view to formulating comments and proposals to government and to various international agencies; and (iii) to co-operate with governmental organisations with a view to obtaining Generalized System of Preference (GSP) from various countries and to act as the responsible authority for Certificate of Origin and Form A of Lao Products by co-operating with international bodies. LNCCI plays an important role in providing information to local and foreign investors and businessmen, helping them to identify potential business projects and partners and meet with concerned authorities and officials.
Other important services provided to its members include arranging textile export visas through the agreement with foreign embassies, issuing Certificates of Origin (COs) for products
manufactured in the Lao PDR, organising arbitration in the course of doing business, preparing and publishing membership directories and newsletters, listing member firms in its trade mission handbook, developing and promoting Business Associations, developing human resources in enterprises through workshops, training and scholarships organised under partnership projects with the support of related agencies, and developing competency standard for industries. In recent years LNCCI has been active in organising seminars for
potential foreign investors, enabling them to make direct contact with public and private sector representatives.
It has also organised seminars for visiting business delegations from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, Japan, Great Britain, Sweden, Hong Kong and China. LNCCI organises the annual Lao Handicraft Festival in collaboration with the Lao Handicraft
Association.
There are currently plans to establish LNCCI as a state
enterprise and to relocate it to Km 5 Trade Exhibition Centre once suitable accommodation has been constructed for it there.
Main objective of the seminar aimed to offer an opportunity to the chamber of commerce and industry in the provincial level to learn about the activities to link between business units and state organisation concern.