Overseas Business Network to boost exports gathers pace

25 July 2014

An international campaign to boost UK exports by creating stronger links with chambers of commerce overseas and harnessing their local expertise and practical help to support British companies is rapidly gathering momentum.

International trade specialist Chamber International is involved with the £8m Overseas Business Network Initiative announced by prime minister, David Cameron, as part of the government’s aim to transform the British economy by doubling annual exports to £1tr by 2020 and increasing the number of UK exporters by 100,000.

Business centres at the British chambers overseas, which will work closely with Chamber International and UKTI, will  help by identifying opportunities in their country for UK businesses, providing practical support when UK companies visit the target market and discounted advice across 41 high-growth and hard-to-enter markets including Malaysia, Thailand, Brazil, Indonesia and India.

Groups of chambers across the UK are now working with the business centres at the overseas chambers to help generate more trading opportunities for UK businesses as well as helping them to access research and tap into local business networks.

Key figures at Chamber International, which is already partnered with the British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore in the initiative, met with officials from overseas chambers from Saudi Arabia, India and Dubai at the International Festival of Business in Liverpool in July to start building stronger links with other export markets important to the region.

Chamber International director, Tim Bailey, says: “There is tremendous enthusiasm from many overseas British Chambers for the scheme which is designed to increase the number of organisations which UK businesses can turn to for support in accessing overseas markets.”

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