ACCRA, September 29, 2026 — Ghana is moving to overhaul its cooperative sector through new legislation, a national cooperative policy and proposed financing mechanisms, as experts from Brazil, India, China and Morocco urge the country to strengthen producer ownership, value addition and access to markets.
The reforms were discussed during the final session of the Global South Cooperativism seminar series held recently and brought together Ghanaian government officials, cooperative organisations, academics and international experts to examine ways of transforming the country’s cooperative sector.
William Kwashie Darlie, Acting Director and Registrar of the Department of Cooperatives, said Ghana’s cooperative sector has significant potential but is failing to deliver its full economic benefits.
Ghana has nearly 30,000 registered cooperatives, of which about 23,700 are active, with approximately 2.4 million members and a combined capital base of about US$ 53 million.
However, Darlie identified several structural challenges, including outdated legislation, limited access to finance for agricultural cooperatives, weak governance compliance and inadequate organisation among smallholder producers.
The country’s main cooperative law, the Cooperative Societies Decree, NLCD 252 of 1968, is nearly six decades old and is being targeted for replacement.
A joint committee is currently drafting a new Cooperative Legislation Bill, while work is also underway on Ghana’s first unified National Cooperative Policy.
The government is additionally considering a Solidarity Fund to help cooperatives withstand market shocks, while a Technical Working Group brings together government, the Ghana Cooperatives Council, financial institutions, universities and development partners.
The reforms are being pursued under Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme [24H+], which seeks, among other objectives, to increase local production and value addition.
Darlie said the government wants to move farmers beyond primary production and enable them to become owners of agro-industrial enterprises.
Despite the large number of registered cooperatives, governance remains a major concern. Of 23,701 active cooperatives cited during the seminar, only 449 had held the annual general meeting required by law, representing about 1.9 percent.
Finance is also unevenly distributed across the sector. Financial cooperatives reportedly control about 95 percent of cooperative capital despite representing less than 10 percent of registered societies, while agricultural cooperatives, which make up the majority, control only a small share.
Global South experiences
The seminar drew lessons from cooperative movements in Brazil, India, China and Morocco, with speakers stressing that Ghana should adapt international experiences rather than copy foreign models.
Dr Adotey Bing-Pappoe, a Ghanaian economist and co-founder of Cooperation Africa, said cooperatives can strengthen producers’ bargaining power and enable workers and producers to own productive assets.
He called for policies that allow businesses to convert into cooperatives, clearer cooperative identities, lower barriers to membership and stronger cooperative education.
He also argued that cooperatives need to retain and reinvest part of their revenues over generations if they are to build substantial capital.
From India, Nitheesh Narayanan of the Tricontinental Institute highlighted Kerala’s cooperative movement, which has about 16,000 registered cooperatives serving a population of roughly 35 million.
He cited the Sahya Tea Cooperative in Idukki district, established in 2017, as an example of producers moving beyond primary production into processing and marketing. The cooperative processes about 15,000 kilogrammes of green tea leaves daily and employs more than 150 workers.
Narayanan also pointed to the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society [ULCCS], a workers’ cooperative that has expanded from road construction into areas including housing, technology, tourism and education.
From China, Jin Kemo of China Agricultural University presented the Science & Technology Backyard [STB] model, which places university researchers and students in rural communities to work directly with farmers.
She said the model links smallholders, cooperatives, enterprises, local governments and universities, allowing farmers to identify their needs while researchers and businesses help develop appropriate technologies and markets.
Kemo said government should focus on creating a supportive legal and policy environment while allowing cooperatives to retain ownership of capital and decision-making.
Adalberto Martins of Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement [MST] said Brazilian cooperative experience showed that access to credit alone does not guarantee successful production.
He argued that financing should come after producers have organised production and identified reliable markets.
Market access key to financing
The issue of finance generated one of the strongest exchanges during the seminar.
Dr Adotey proposed that Ghana’s credit unions should finance the establishment of worker cooperatives, particularly among young people working in sectors such as information technology, vehicle repair, building maintenance and recycling.
Martins, however, cautioned against providing loans to producers before they have organised production and secured markets.
He cited Brazil’s Food Purchase Programme [PAA], which provides a market for small-scale farmers through public procurement.
He said producers need clarity on three issues before expanding production: who will buy their products, at what price and under what arrangements.
The discussion has implications for Ghana’s proposed Solidarity Fund, with participants arguing that financing should be linked to organised production and reliable markets rather than operate as a stand-alone lending facility.
Focus on value addition
Participants also urged Ghanaian cooperatives to move beyond aggregating agricultural commodities and take greater control of processing, storage, branding and marketing.
Martins said cooperatives that only collect farmers’ output face difficulties competing in markets dominated by larger businesses.
The MST model, he said, involves cooperatives participating across the value chain, including seeds, inputs, production, processing, storage and marketing.
The experience of Sahya Tea in India similarly demonstrated how processing and marketing can help producers challenge intermediary monopolies.
The approach is consistent with Ghana’s 24H+ objective of transforming farmers from primary producers into owners of agro-industrial enterprises.
Speakers also called for stronger links between different types of cooperatives, including financial, agricultural, industrial and service cooperatives.
They said financial cooperatives could play a greater role in capitalising other cooperative enterprises, reflecting the International Cooperative Alliance’s principle of cooperation among cooperatives.
Education and governance
Cooperative education was identified as another priority for Ghana.
Dr Adotey called for cooperative education to be incorporated into schools, colleges and public media, while Narayanan cited Kerala’s high literacy levels and the inclusion of cooperative activities in education as factors supporting the movement.
Martins argued that cooperative education should also equip members with an understanding of their economic position and the principles underlying collective ownership.
Participants linked stronger education and member participation to better governance, particularly given the low rate of annual general meeting compliance among Ghana’s active cooperatives.
The seminar concluded with plans for a final report and continued engagement among Ghanaian institutions and Global South partners.
The discussions highlighted several areas for Ghana’s reform agenda, including modernising cooperative legislation, improving access to cooperative-owned finance, strengthening governance and education, expanding value-chain ownership and developing stronger links among different cooperative sectors.
The participants said international experience should inform Ghana’s reforms while allowing the country to develop a cooperative model suited to its own economic and social conditions.
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