Francis Mwebesa (L), the minister of trade talks to the state minister, Gen Mbadi (2nd L), Lynette B. Bagonza (R), the Permanent Secretary and another official
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The cooperative movement is known to prioritise member needs and community well-being, leading to sustainable development and poverty reduction.
This Saturday, Uganda will join the rest of the world to commemorate the 31st United Nations and 103rd International Day of Cooperatives. This day is observed on the first Saturday of July every year.
The theme for this year’s celebrations, which will fall on July 5th, 2025, is “Driving Inclusive and Sustainable Solutions for a better World.”
According to a statement from the ministry of trade, Industry and Cooperatives, the main celebrations will be held at Boma Grounds, Fort Portal City.
It says that this year’s International Cooperative Day is being organized by Uganda Cooperative Alliance in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade. It will be co-hosted by Toro Dairy Cooperative Society Ltd and Busaiga SACCO Ltd. President Yoweri Museveni is expected to be the Chief Guest.
In a bid to promote good governance and root out corruption and bad leadership, the Ministry has commenced a comprehensive validation exercise of all cooperative unions and their member primary societies across the country.
45,868 Coops
Currently, the cooperatives movement is comprised of over 45,868 cooperatives involved in a wide range of economic activities including agricultural marketing, financial services, housing, energy distribution, dairy and transport.
The trade ministry’s statement, signed by Francis Mwebesa, the minister of trade, says that there are several types of cooperatives in Uganda, including agricultural marketing cooperatives, transport cooperatives, and dairy cooperatives, among others
“There are cooperatives directly involved in the implementation of government programmes. These include EMYOOGA, Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs and PDM SACCOs,” said Mwebesa.
He said they have undertaken initiatives to revive and strengthen cooperatives. “As you may be aware, strategies for the revival and strengthening of Cooperatives have been formulated with a view to addressing the critical challenges facing the sector,” said the minister.
He stated some of the challenges as poor governance and leadership, inadequate knowledge on cooperatives, dented image of cooperatives, low capitalization, poor storage facilities, weak management information systems and inadequate legal and regulatory frame work.
“These challenges therefore call for increased education/training, capitalization, provision of storage facilities and an improved, effective regulatory framework,” he said, adding that cooperative can only be revived if they become democratic, self-governing, and self-reliant organizations.
“For this to occur, a radical change is necessary in the way Cooperatives are constituted, managed and regulated. That’s why the ministry has undertaken a validation process.”
Validation launched
In a bid to promote good governance and root out corruption and bad leadership, the Ministry has commenced a comprehensive validation exercise of all cooperative unions and their member primary societies across the country.
Some of the objectives of this exercise include to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations governing cooperative societies, validate membership records, evaluate governance structures, and examine operational practices.
Other objectives include assessing the economic viability of cooperatives, developing a database for future reference as well as facilitating capacity building needs.
Khadija Nakakande, a Senior Public Relations Officer at the ministry of trade said that so far, several unions have been validated.
These include North Bukedi Growers Cooperative Union, Wamala Growers cooperative Union, Bunyoro Growers Cooperative Union and Busoga Growers Cooperative Union.
“The outcome of this exercise has compelled the Registrar of Cooperatives to remove their boards and organize fresh elections,” she noted.
In addition, majority of primary societies under these Unions were found dormant. So, efforts are under way for their revival in more profitable value chains.
She said validation of other unions like Masaba Cooperative Union, Banyankole Kweterana Cooperative Union, East Mengo Growers Cooperative Union, Sebei Elgon Growers Cooperative Union, Nyakatonzi Growers Cooperative Union, Lango Cooperative Union, East Acholi Cooperative Union, and others, will be done before October 2025.
Mwebesa referred to the whole process as a total overhaul of cooperative leadership that have abused their offices and led to led to poor service delivery of farmers.
“The Ministry has therefore embarked on a rigorous exercise to enforce accountability, transparency, participation, consensus building and respect for rules, policies and regulations in cooperative management,” he added.
This, he said, is part of their ongoing commitment to modernizing government services and foster transparency and efficiency.
“To venture into that direction, we launched the Cooperative Registry Management Information System. This innovative initiative is designed to digitize and streamline the entire process of registering, managing, and overseeing cooperatives across the country,” he pointed out.
The introduction of the Cooperative Registry Management Information System marks a significant step forward in the ministry’s efforts to foster a vibrant, well-regulated cooperative sector that contributes meaningfully to national development goals.
The new system will provide a centralized, user-friendly platform that allows for real-time data entry, retrieval, and monitoring of cooperative activities.
