KAMPALA, September 24, 2026 –- Uganda’s cooperative movement is taking a major step towards professionalising the sector following the launch of the country’s first university academic programmes in cooperative education by Makerere University Business School [MUBS] and the Uganda Cooperative Alliance [UCA], and Moshi Co-operative University [MoCU] in Tanzania.
The programmes were launched during the National Annual Cooperative Conference held on Tuesday at MUBS, bringing together cooperative leaders, policymakers, academics and other sector stakeholders.
Speaking on behalf of the MUBS Principal, Prof. Moses Muhwezi, Associate Professor Rachel Mindra Katoroogo, Deputy Principal [Academic Affairs], said the initiative will help address the need for professionally trained personnel to manage Uganda’s growing cooperative sector.
Katoroogo also announced a partnership between MUBS, UCA and Moshi Co-operative University in Tanzania to establish a comprehensive cooperative education pathway, covering foundational training, diploma, degree, postgraduate and customised short courses.
The initiative is expected to strengthen the sector’s human resource capacity by giving cooperative leaders and practitioners access to specialised academic and professional training.
“Our ambition is to develop a comprehensive strategy… to produce cooperative leaders who understand governance, managers who can manage resources prudently, entrepreneurs who can identify opportunities,” Mindra told the gathering.
UCA General Secretary Ivan Asiimwe confirmed that Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD programmes in cooperative education will begin in Uganda for the first time, alongside short and medium courses running one to three months, calling on government and industry partners to invest in the sector’s human capital development.
Addressing the conference, State Minister for Cooperatives, Tom Alero Aza, announced an 8-point strategic direction to make cooperatives strong again, saying the current cooperative framework is outdated.
“The current policy is 28 years old. It does not speak digital economy, youth, oil and gas, climate change and commercial agriculture,” he said, revealing that government has started a consultative review of the National Cooperative Policy to among others incorporate new areas of cooperative activities and harmonize cooperative development guidelines into a single, cohesive framework.
“We cannot manage 50,000 cooperatives manually,” Aza said, adding that government will roll out a Cooperative Management Information System for online registration and monitoring, digital IDs for all cooperatives, and integration with URSB, NIRA, URA and Bank of Uganda.
Other measures include strengthening the Cooperative Tribunal to resolve disputes within 60 days, a nationwide audit and mapping of cooperative assets to recover grabbed land and buildings, and revamping cooperative colleges in Kigumba and Tororo.
“Compliance will no longer be optional. A cooperative must be a viable business,” he noted.
While officiating at the conference, Third Deputy Prime Minister Rukia Isanga Nakadama welcomed the launch of cooperative education, saying it aligns with the Government’s agenda of value addition, market access and wealth creation.
Nakadama challenged cooperatives to move beyond exporting raw materials, noting that unprocessed commodities often fetch lower prices, while finished products command greater value in the market.
She questioned why Uganda continues to export raw materials only to import finished products at higher prices.
“Why should we continue exporting raw materials instead of finished products? We have very many raw materials here, when they are taken to other countries, they come back to Uganda very expensive, yet you are the people who have given them those raw materials,” Nakadama said.
She cited matooke as an example of the potential of value addition, noting that processing it into flour and other products can create new markets and help farmers reduce losses arising from limited markets for fresh produce.
Nakadama also reaffirmed government’s commitment to supporting cooperatives through the Parish Development Model [PDM]. She noted that the Shs 1 million allocated to households under the programme has enabled some of the country’s poorest households to join Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations [SACCOs], providing them with access to savings and financial services.
“There is no way they can join SACCOs when they totally have nothing. But with our [Government’s] Parish Development Model, our people have managed to join SACCOs,” she said.
She urged leaders of various cooperatives to uphold transparency, accountable and financially sustainable, and called on traders to embrace competition as a driver of growth.
“Competition is wealth, competition is healthy and good business. When you are alone, you will not attract customers,” she told delegates.
Nakadama officially launched the National Cooperative Education Conference 2027/2028 and commended MUBS, UCA, and Moshi for spearheading the initiative.
The annual conference, held every September, brought together delegates from the Kenya Cooperative Alliance, the International Cooperative Alliance’s regional office and Moshi Co-operative University in Tanzania and South Sudan among others.
It also attracted representatives from Uganda’s Ministries of Trade, Agriculture and Finance, as well as the Bank of Uganda, providing a platform for stakeholders to share experiences and discuss ways to strengthen cooperative education and development.
Additional reporting by Steven Kinene.
https://thecooperator.news/new-website-for-international-cooperative-business-education-consortium/
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