Prime
Museveni rallies cooperatives on Pan-African spirit
Bugisu Co-operative Union Limited premises in Mbale. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Cooperative Societies want policies and regulations to be streamlined under a single unit to ease compliance.
President Museveni has rallied the cooperative movement under their respective cooperative societies to embrace the spirit of Pan-Africanism as part of the wider approach to external markets for the surplus produce.
The President in his message delivered by the Third Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Rukia Nakadama to the cooperators at their International Cooperatives Day celebrations held in Bukomansimbi District on July 21, urged the Cooperators to look beyond the Ugandan boundaries for bigger markets since the Ugandan population cannot consume all their products.
“The NRM government emphasizes the Pan Africanism spirit which involves integrating Uganda to the bigger market of East Africa and Africa. African countries have a small internal market to consume products produced but collectively. We have a huge population in Africa which we can take advantage of for the products,” he said in the statement.
The President stressed the importance of cooperatives reaping from the social and economic benefits presented by the prevailing good investment atmosphere that favours growth of the different business ventures in the country.
The cooperators while marking 102-years anniversary of the cooperative movement urged the government to revive the Cooperative Bank to strengthen the spirit of cooperatives societies and protect them from the restrictive and challenging policies that can only be overcome through a streamlined and independent financial institution catering for cooperative farmers.
Led by the Kibinge Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society Limited, under the theme ‘Cooperatives Build a Better Future’, the Cooperators reminded the government of their repeated appeals to revival the cooperative Bank.
“We have always been demanding for the revival of the Cooperative Bank, but it is taking a long time yet we are now financially powerful to run our own bank. This is our appeal as Cooperators for the government to revive the Cooperative Bank. We want this opportunity granted,” they said in their collective submission on July 21.
Mr Jonas Tweyambe, the Chairperson of the Uganda Cooperatives Alliance said said the cooperators want waiver of unfair taxes levied against Cooperative Societies.
They want policies and regulations to be streamlined under a single unit to ease compliance.
The State Minister for Trade Gen. Wilson Mbadi lauded the government for providing security that has enabled more cooperatives to operate leading to 18 million registered cooperatives in the Country. It was insecurity that led to the collapse of many of the Cooperatives in Uganda, he said.
He added that a Committee reviewing the legal frameworks that include the Money lenders Act, Cooperatives Act among others, will harmonize the different challenges to ensure a favorable operating legal framework and environment for Cooperatives and Saccos.
Mr Frederick Ngobi Gume, the State Minister for Cooperatives, advised the cooperators to add value to their produce to exploit more market opportunities.
“When you add value to the produce, it will present opportunities for the East African community and other integrations, coffee exported is playing a pivotal role in widening the market,” he said.
Mr Solomon Kayemba, MP Bukomansimbi South and a member on the committee for trade and cooperatives added that cooperatives are among the mechanisms that unite people even as many belong to different political camps and affiliations.
As of February 2020, Uganda had a total of 21,346 registered Cooperative Societies with an estimated 5.6 million members.
