- Overview
- Activities
Trade associations and chambers of commerce in the Commonwealth
Trade associations also known as business networks, industry trade bodies and chambers of commerce, play important roles as collectives, networks and advocates for the promotion of the private sector as a whole in Commonwealth countries. Whereas trade unions represent employees, trade associations represent employers.
Most member states of the Commonwealth have one leading trade association – often a national chamber of commerce or a confederation of industries – which represents the overall interests of the private sector and additionally numerous other organisations representing prominent sectors of the economy such as mining (for example the Chambers of Mines in Ghana and Namibia), agriculture (Manitoba Corn Growers Association in Canada), manufacturing (Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association), tourism (Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association) and financial services (Pakistan Banks’ Association). The highest concentration of such organisations in the Commonwealth can be found in larger economies such as the UK, Canada and Australia where there is an association for almost every sector of the economy, big and small.
