JOHANNESBURG, October 8, 2024 — The African Union [AU] officially launched the African Cooperatives Centre [ACC] days ago. The initiative aims at advancing the Social Solidarity Economy [SSE] across Africa.
Unveiled at the Pan-African Parliament [PAP] in Midrand, South Africa, the ACC will act as a hub for knowledge exchange, capacity building, training, and advocacy, enabling cooperatives and other SSE entities to collaboratively tackle social protection challenges across the continent.
This ethical and values-based approach to economic development prioritises workforce welfare over profit, addressing the critical need for institutional support to advance this paradigm.
During the launch, Lindiwe Khumalo, Clerk of the PAP highlighted the ACC’s mission to harness the collective strength of African cooperatives.
“The Centre will serve as a continental hub for knowledge exchange, best practice exchange, capacity building, training and advocacy for cooperatives and other SSE entities to learn from each other, and collectively address the challenges facing social protection in Africa,” Khumalo added.
She further emphasised the Pan-African Parliament’s role in championing AU’s policies and programmes such as the ACC.
Aicha Errifaai, General Director of the Moroccan Office of Cooperation Development while speaking at the ACC emphasised that “the royal vision, marked by wisdom and foresight, has guided the country’s development in various sectors, with SSE emerging as a key pillar.”
She explained that in Morocco, SSE has steadily progressed through strategic initiatives and legislative reforms that have significantly reshaped the cooperative landscape. Today, SSE serves as a crucial tool to reduce social inequalities, promote financial inclusion, and foster community-driven development.
Errifaai also mentioned the adoption of the country’s new development model in 2021, which marked a turning point, officially positioning SSE at the core of Morocco’s economic strategy.
In this context, SSE is seen not only as a means to alleviate poverty and improve livelihoods but also as a powerful engine for economic empowerment, she added.
Errifaai further highlighted Morocco’s ambitious goal of increasing SSE’s contribution to GDP from 2 percent to 8 percent by 2035, while also creating 50,000 decent jobs annually. To achieve these targets, a legal framework for SSE has been established, though it is still awaiting adoption, aimed at defining the necessary mechanisms for its development.
She also noted that by the end of 2023, the Moroccan cooperative sector comprised more than 58,000 cooperatives, encompassing around 750,000 members across various sectors.
Regarding the launch of the African Cooperative Center, Errifaai stressed that it marks a crucial step for SSE in Africa, providing a platform for cooperatives across the continent to collaborate and explore synergies with governmental institutions.
She reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to aligning its policies with the African Union’s ten-year strategy for SSE, expressing the country’s desire to place Moroccan cooperatives at the forefront of this initiative through active engagement and experience sharing.
The launch of the ACC brought together cooperative organisations from various economic sectors, representatives from African Union member states, and delegates from the International Labour Organisation [ILO] and other international organisations.
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