Minister urges stronger cooperatives to accelerate wealth creation in Acholi

GULU CITY, August 6, 2026 — The Minister of State for Cooperatives, Tom Alero Aza, has called on leaders and communities in Gulu City and the rest of Acholi Subregion to embrace the cooperative movement as a practical pathway to wealth creation, poverty reduction and sustainable economic transformation.

The minister made the call during a recent familiarisation visit to Gulu City where he revealed that President Yoweri Museveni had instructed him to sensitise the public on the importance of cooperatives and assess the status of the sector across the country.

He described Gulu as the heart of Acholi and commended the subregion for its resilient economic transition, saying it has laid a strong foundation for vibrant and sustainable cooperative societies.

“Poverty alleviation must start at the household level and be driven through collective action. When people pool their resources, they escape poverty much faster. Unity is strength, and that is the foundation of cooperatives,” Alero said.

He noted that while an individual farmer has limited bargaining power, organised cooperatives are better positioned to negotiate favourable prices, access larger markets and improve members’ incomes.

The minister linked the cooperative movement to Uganda’s 10-Fold Growth Strategy, which aims to transform the country from a lower-middle-income to an upper-middle-income economy worth US$ 500 billion by 2040.

He added that cooperatives contribute directly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs], particularly those aimed at ending poverty, eliminating hunger, promoting decent work and strengthening partnerships.

Alero said Gulu City and the wider Acholi Sub-region have enormous potential for cooperative development, citing the availability of land, active youth and women’s groups, and the presence of established cooperative societies.

He urged local leaders to mobilise communities to establish strong and viable cooperatives rather than “briefcase cooperatives” that exist only on paper. He also called on political leaders to provide unwavering support by strengthening governance structures, enforcing cooperative by-laws and protecting cooperative leaders from exploitation.

The minister attributed the collapse of many cooperatives in Uganda to weak governance, lack of transparency and accountability.

However, he assured stakeholders that the Ministry would continue providing policy guidance, governance training, regular audits and market linkages to strengthen cooperative societies across the country.

Stakeholders highlight key challenges

During the engagement, Gulu City leaders outlined several challenges affecting the cooperative sector and appealed for government intervention.

The Deputy Mayor of Gulu City, Geoffrey Alii, welcomed Alero and thanked the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives [MTIC] for resuming engagements with local governments.

He commended government for introducing the Parish Development Model [PDM], describing it as a transformative wealth creation programme, and pledged the city’s full support towards strengthening local cooperatives.

Officials from the Gulu City Commercial Office said that although the department remains committed to providing training, technical guidance and support to cooperative groups, the current staffing structure lacks both a Cooperative Officer and a Senior Cooperative Officer, limiting effective service delivery.

They called on the Ministry of Public Service, and MTIC to review the staffing structure and provide for the two positions, not only in Gulu City but across the country.

The department also expressed appreciation to the Ministry for providing a motorcycle to facilitate field operations but appealed for a vehicle to improve supervision and implementation activities across the city.

In response, minister Alero acknowledged the concerns raised by stakeholders, including inadequate transport, staffing shortages, weak governance, limited seed capital, administrative bottlenecks and the need to revive and strengthen cooperative societies across the Acholi Sub-region.

He assured participants that the Ministry would study the issues raised and work with the relevant government agencies to strengthen cooperative development in Gulu City and across the country, enabling cooperatives to realise their full potential as drivers of economic development and shared prosperity.

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