Saudi Gazette recently met with Intissar Abdullah Al-Ghadeer, the manager of events and international affairs at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RRCI) and discovered the extent of its contribution to the economy and trade with the rest of the world. Working with the RCCI, Al-Ghadeer has been involved with the exceptional responsibility of merging international affairs into the Chamber's many departments. There has been a discernible upsurge in the interest shown by various countries in establishing or expanding their business in the Kingdom. A major reason for this is that commerce and trade are an inherent part of the Kingdom's heritage. Hundreds of years ago Bedouin traders would conduct matters of business importance - to buy or sell a camel or goat for instance - with great skill, even though he had never received any formal study. The beauty of business and trade in this part of the world is that business has traditionally been done on a verbal basis, so a trader's work is taken for granted, exemplified by the adage “a word is worth a thousand contracts”. These Bedouin traders have evolved into the Saudi businessmen of today, but these values are still held strongly. The Kingdom is now attracting more foreign investments than ever because of the relatively sheltered environment it provided during the recent economic crisis. It is the view of many that this shelter has been provided by the financial system incorporated here, which adheres to Islamic principles i.e. the ban on usury and the prevalence of charity-giving. The functions of the RCCI, for both men and women, is to build bridges between the private sector and the government on the one hand, and local and international businesses on the other. On a strictly business level, the RCCI offers international investment opportunities for Saudis, such as franchising. A bit closer to home, the RCCI also offers training - through workshops and lectures - and business opportunities to businessmen and women. It also helps the unemployed, mediating between applicants and employers and acting as a medium through which the unemployed can get their CVs to potential employers. Al-Ghadeer spoke extensively about the opportunities for women the RCCI provides, citing an ongoing jewelry design workshop in cooperation with the Italian Embassy as one example. She added that the RCCI arranges three meetings a year for Saudi businesswomen, often hosting businesswomen from around the world. The third meeting is conducted under the patronage of princess Hessah bint Trad Al-Shaalan, and is essentially a conference that lasts for two days. Indeed, Al-Ghadeer remarked that the RCCI is providing investment opportunities to women as well as facilitating the process of establishing a business. She added that though Saudi Arabia ban boast of a number of “franchising products” the same cannot be said for”franchising services” i.e. having a renowned hospital or law firm, for instance, to open a branch in the Kingdom. This would enable customers to receive the same quality of service as they would elsewhere
