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CoopAFRICA is designed to provide support for governments, the cooperative movement and development partners to provide advisory services, technical assistance, training, tools and financial support for cooperative development in Africa.
CoopAfrica ‘s approach consists of assisting stakeholders to establish a legal and policy environment conducive to the development of cooperatives; providing support services through identified “Centres of competence”; promoting effective co-ordinating structures (eg. unions and federations) and establishing and maintaining Challenge Fund mechanisms, for ‘services’, ‘innovation’, and ‘training’. These funds are accessible through a competitive demand-driven mechanism and a transparent selection of the best proposals.
To support this development the programme has set up strategic partnerships with the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the UK Cooperative College, the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the African Union Secretariat. The programme also works with other international organizations (eg. FAO and UNIDO) and closely associates cooperative apex bodies, ministries responsible for cooperative development, cooperative training institutions, universities and NGOs.
In summary, CoopAFRICA assists people to improve their living and working conditions through cooperatives. Key elements of the approach are:
- Establishing an enabling legal and policy environment
- Promoting of effective co-ordination systems (cooperative unions and federations)
- Improving services for cooperatives through Centres of Competence
- A Challenge Fund to strengthen the cooperative movement
The global significance of cooperatives
Cooperatives are playing an increasingly important role worldwide in facilitating job creation, economic growth and social development. Ranging from small-scale to multi-million dollar businesses across the globe, cooperatives are estimated to employ more than 100 million women and men, and have more than 800 million individual members. Cooperatives mainly operate in agricultural marketing and supply, finance, wholesale and retailing, health care, housing and insurance. However, they are now venturing into new fields of activity, such as information and communication technology, tourism and cultural industries. |
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