FORT PORTAL CITY, July 4, 2025 –– Hundreds of cooperators from across Uganda converged today at Nyaika Hotel in Fort Portal City for a landmark 2025 Cooperative Symposium, held in the run-up to the 2025 International Day of Cooperatives [CoopsDay]. The national celebrations are scheduled to take place this Saturday at Boma Grounds, also in Fort Portal City.
The symposium attracted a broad cross-section of participants, including cooperative leaders, policymakers, development partners, corporate companies, and young innovators — all united by a shared goal: to reimagine and strengthen Uganda’s cooperative movement in response to 21st-century challenges.
Key topics addressed at the symposium included the long-anticipated establishment of a cooperative bank, digital transformation within the sector, climate financing, and improved access to appropriate and affordable funding for cooperatives.
Speaking to cooperators during the symposium the General Secretary of Uganda Cooperative Alliance, Ivan Asiimwe urged the cooperators to contribute money for the revival of the cooperative bank, adding that cooperators need to sign the contribution forms to contribute to the cause.
Adding that Uganda is gifted by nature but branded as beggars referring to the character of some cooperators who believe in begging from donors to grow their cooperatives.
Asiimwe cited the neighbouring countries that have cooperative banks , saying they have thrived better than the cooperative movement in Uganda due to access to appropriate and affordable financing.
In the same vein Dr. Fred Muhumuza, a renowned economist and development policy analyst, has criticised the Ugandan government’s slow bureaucratic processes, saying they are unfit for the fast-paced demands of modern business and financial partnerships.
Muhumuza’s comments were in reference to the sluggish pace at which government institutions process documents and approvals, which he said threatens Uganda’s ability to engage with fast-moving international financiers.
“We well know that cooperatives are vulnerable to external factors, the morning downtown disasters among others, we need to look for ways how we can overcome these challenges,” Muhumuza said.
He asked cooperatives to be more innovative and flexible to gratify their members’ needs and overcome external challenges, citing that most members want fast and efficient systems.
In a related development, the General Manager of Busaiga SACCO, Mercy Mastula Kusemererwa asked cooperators to soften services for members in the various cooperatives.
“You find a member of a cooperative that deals in dairy taking milk to individual buyers instead of supporting the cooperative he/she subscribes to,” Kusemererwa said.
She noted that cooperators in the country need to support their own cooperatives so that they grow and serve them better.
Opening the symposium the Assistant Commissioner, Robert Mpakibi from the Ministry of Trade Industry and Cooperatives welcome cooperators and tasked them to learn from the symposium and share experiences for their colleagues to ensure their cooperatives grow to the heights.
He encouraged cooperators to continue joining hands and push for the cooperative movement.
Leonard Okello, CEO of The Uhuru Institute for Social Development [TUI], a social business enterprise, which has been instrumental in powering cooperative innovation through tools like the Coop360°Network, a community and marketplace for cooperatives, theCooperator Media, and Coop Profiler, stressed the need for evidence based decision making in cooperative management.
“Cooperatives must be seen as trusted factual institutions and not theorists. That begins with how we collect, use and govern data that informs operational systems. “Our future lies in systems not in individuals.” he said.
In a related development yesterday, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives launched the Cooperative Registry Management Information System [CRMIS] — a digital platform aimed at streamlining the registration and regulatory oversight of cooperatives across the country.
Additional reporting by Scovia Atuhaire
https://thecooperator.news/coops-must-leverage-visual-media-to-engage-youth-ica-ap-boss/
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