ICA Celebrating 125 years: Bringing the Future into Focus.   

 

The achievement in forming the International Cooperative Alliance 125 years ago and the continued strength of the cooperative model is a testament of its relevance and contribution around the world. New forms and kinds of cooperatives are being invented all the time. Social cooperatives, a noteworthy and impactful experiment in itself, were invented in Italy in the late 1970s, and are now extending all over the world. We have recently seen the emergence of freelancers’ cooperatives, community cooperatives, and different types of multi-stakeholder cooperatives around innovative cooperative entrepreneurial models. It is clear that new forms of cooperatives will continue to emerge as the socio-economic needs of human beings evolve and common aspirations manifest into a collective will to build a better world.

 

As at August, the ICA represents 314 member organisations in 111 countries - more than at any time in these 125 years. Read More.

 

Cooperative Farmers Empowerment and Organizational Strengthening.   

 

Uganda Cooperative Alliance (UCA) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal, Industry and Fisheries in Uganda, organized an inception training for trainers who will train agricultural cooperatives dealing in coffee, rice, beans, maize and casava on how to improve their access to e-vouchers, value chain, storage and market linkages.

 

This was an inception training of trainers activity under the Agriculture Cluster Development Project (ACDP). The purpose of the project is to increase productivity of marketable volumes of rice, maize, beans, cassava and coffee commodities in 57 districts. In the 57 districts, ACDP targets to work with 450,000 households organized in 30,000 farmer groups, 3000 RPOs, 300 Area Commodity Cooperative enterprises. This will also empower the farmers and strengthen their organizations in areas of e-vouchers, value chain activities, storages, market linkages and how to improve their internal resource mobilization strategies to support investments. Read More

 

AMPCM brings Inclusive Solutions to Youth Problems.   

 

The Mozambican Association for the Promotion of Modern Cooperativism (AMPCM) paid a courtesy visit to the State Department for Youth and Employment (SEJE) to discuss about modern cooperativism and looking at the common challenges facing youth, their inclusion in AMPCM activities and finding their sustainable solutions.

 

While presenting to the State Department, AMPCM Executive Director Mr. Cecílio Valentim, outlined the various challenges facing young people in Mozambique with unemployment and underemployment being the major ones. According to Valentim, AMPCM can provide support and personalized assistance in diagnosing youth potential through offering advice on business management, training on organizational operations, value chains and others as they continue to contribute to Mozambique’s economy.

 

NCBA CLUSA Helping Individuals and Families Achieve Resilience and Economic Security.   

 

To commemorate this year’s International Youth Day themed ‘Youth Engagement for Global Action’, the National Cooperative Business Association Clusa International (NCBA CLUSA) gave some updates on development projects in Senegal, Uganda, Burkina Faso and Niger. This was to recognize the critical importance of addressing and engaging youth in its work to empower individuals and families to achieve resilience and economic security.

 

NCBA CLUSA highlighted that some of the community-led development approach engage youth, their families, and their communities by creating a positive environment in which youth can thrive. The different projects empower youth and build their agency by providing leadership training and encouraging participation in local governance and community organizations such as cooperatives, associations, and producer organizations (POs). This therefore prepares youth for work and self-employment by building life and entrepreneurship skills through training and hands-on learning. Read More.

 

Youth Innovations for Sustainable Livelihoods in Africa: During & Post Covid-19.   

 

ICA-Africa in collaboration with We Effect East Africa, Vi Agroforestry, Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF), Kenya Union of Savings and Credit Cooperatives (KUSCCO) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized a youth webinar on 14th August, 2020 to commemorate the International Youth day 2020.

 

The aim of the webinar was to emphasize the sense of initiative and entrepreneurship to enable the engagement of youth by making local, national and global institutions more inclusive, for the purpose of strengthening their capacity (and relevance) to achieve global action. In particular, the event sought to highlight the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels is developing sense for creativity, innovation and risk taking, the readiness to seize opportunities at work and daily life, and the ability to plan and manage projects. Find the webinar’s Recording.

 

Inter-Regional Workshop: Social and Financial Education for Cooperatives.   

 

ICA-Africa, Aflatoun International and ICA Asia-Pacific (ICA-AP) in collaboration with the ICA-EU Partnership conducted an Inter-Regional online workshop on capacity building focusing on ‘social and Financial Education for Cooperatives’.

 

This was a first activity undertaken jointly after ICA-Africa and ICA Asia-Pacific signed a Memorandum of understanding with Aflatoun International to work together in empowering children and young people with social, financial, and entrepreneurial skills. Working towards the same values and principles, the organizations believe that the collaboration will increase the capacity of youth in cooperatives and promote social and financial education for young people.

 

 

Economic Impact of COVID- 19 Pandemic on SMEs in Kenya.   

 

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) being a great economic player, continue to look for bailouts and cushion from both government and private financial institutions. SACCOs cannot be left out in this course. Equipping Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) to provide leniency to small and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs) facing short-term challenges, such as offering extended grace periods and short-term loans, is very important. The Cooperative Alliance of Kenya (CAK) Executive Director, Mr. Daniel Marube weighed on the issue. He say commented that CAK on behalf of the SACCO fraternity is seeking for an introduction of guarantee lines through development partners, offering of moratorium for member loans for the affected period.

 

Moreover, Kenya Union of Savings and Credit Cooperative (KUSCCO) is intensifying weekly online trainings for SACCOs staff to ensure SACCOs are putting in relevant measures in place to safeguard the liquidity management - ranging from guarantees, special funds and insurance cover to indemnify them. KUSCCO is also strengthening her Central Finance Facility (CFF) as a fund pool where SACCOs' with excess liquidity can deposit their funds and the same funds used to lend to those with liquidity challenges. Read More.

 

 

A Study to Establish Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic on SACCOs.   

 

The Kenya Cooperative Coronavirus Response Committee (CCRC) has commissioned a study to determine the full effects of Covid-19 on the financial sector. The move comes at a time when cases of loan default, mainly among youth groups, have increased in Kenya due to losses incurred as a result of the pandemic.

 

According to Eng. Francis Kamande, the CCRC Chair, the survey is expected to be completed by the end of the year 2020. He said the commissioned study will aid the cooperative movement in establishing the cumulative impact, to enable them come up with recommendations and appropriate mitigation measures. Read more.

 

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The Cooperative College Presents: Learning LIVE.   

 

Join the Cooperative College online free event to broaden your cooperative knowledge through a unique line-up of thought-provoking live webinars, interactive discussions and exciting new online courses. For More Information >> https://bit.ly/31K7Aon

 

ICA Stands for a Robust Enabling Environment for the SSE.   

 

Cooperatives being a vital actor within the Social and Solidarity Economy[1] (SSE), ICA releases the position paper "Cooperatives as a key constituent of the social and solidarity economy (SSE)”, as its' position and support towards the proposed United Nations’ resolution on SSE by the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on SSE (UNTFSSE). Read More.

 

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Paying Tribute to Sam Mshiu.   

 

Mr. Mshiu will be missed, but he will not be forgotten. His contributions have shaped the African cooperative movements for generations to come, and thousands of cooperative members and leaders benefited from his passion and wisdom. Read More.

 

 

UN Recognizes Cooperatives as Key Drivers of Youth Social Entrepreneurship and Development.    

 

The 2020 United Nations’ World Youth Report: Youth Social Entrepreneurship and the 2030 Agenda underlines the supportive role of cooperatives for young social entrepreneurs. The report, which examines the capacity of social entrepreneurship to generate economic empowerment for youth and social development, recognizes the value of the cooperative model to offer decent work opportunities for vulnerable groups, especially for youth and women, as well as to empower their members by ensuring capacity building and enhanced voice in society. The cooperative movement is viewed as a successful and democratic movement from which much can be learnt to better address some of the major challenges among youth: unemployment and precarious employment, particularly in the informal sector. Read More.

 

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AWACH Sacco Calls for Articles for A Journal.    

 

Since 2016, Awach Sacco has been publishing and distributing quarterly newsletter and yearly magazine to its members and stakeholders in Amharic language. Members were able to have reports and information on timely basis and were able to promote Awach Sacco through the published media. Awach Sacco is considering to publish new finds of cooperators, researchers, and scholars on cooperatives in general and Savings and Credit Cooperatives in particular hence the call for Articles for a journal. Read More.

 

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