Saudi Arabia strengthens national capacities in cooperative development
Saudi Arabia is strengthening its national capacities to promote cooperatives by building a pool of certified cooperative trainers to expand access to locally delivered training and advisory services across the country.
20 April 2026
Training workshops were held in Riyadh (5-9 April 2026) and Jeddah (12-16 April 2026), during which trainer candidates worked with cooperative members in developing and refining viable business ideas and improving governance practices. The workshops formed a part of the certification process following an earlier training of trainers workshop, which equipped 24 participants with the ILO’s Think.COOP and Start.COOP tools. Of these, 10 candidates progressed to the certification phase by applying their skills in delivering practical training sessions to cooperative members under the supervision of an ILO master trainer.
A total of 52 cooperative members, including 15 women participated in the workshops: 24 in Riyadh, including seven women, and 28 in Jeddah, including eight women.
Participants came from agriculture, food processing, fisheries, multipurpose, culture, housing, tourism and handicrafts sectors. The sessions enabled cooperative members to strengthen their understanding of cooperative principles and values, governance and business planning. At the same time, trainer candidates applied participatory training methods in real settings. The activity delivered immediate benefits to cooperatives while advancing measurable progress toward a more sustainable and institutionalised national training programme.
Implemented under the ILO project Fostering cooperative development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the training activity contributes to longer-term institutional outcomes, including:
- The establishment of a national pool of certified cooperative trainers
- Increased availability of localized training and advisory services
- Stronger alignment between cooperative development and national economic development priorities, particularly Saudi Vision 2030.
The next phase will be the final certification of trainers by the ILO master trainer, enabling the expansion of locally delivered, sustained support to new and existing cooperatives in multiple sectors across the Kingdom.
Related content
ILO Guidance and resources
Cooperatives and the social and solidarity economy: Education and training