Kafue District Cooperative Union Chairperson Zacchaes Namoya has called on organizations especially political parties to avoid politicizing cooperative societies.
Mr. Namoya observed that there has been a tendency of using cooperatives to facilitate enhancement of political agendas by certain political parties and has thus challenged cooperative bodies not to entertain such. He added that such activities distort the true nature of cooperatives thereby leading to compromised control and management.
He also observed that certain individuals form cooperatives just for the sake of accessing fertilizers and has since urged all farmers to look beyond maize growing and explore other business ventures which will help them generate income on a daily basis without waiting for the rain season.
Mr. Namoya was speaking at a workshop, organised by the Kafue District Cooperative Union and facilitated by ILO-Cooperative Facility for Africa, which was held in the council chamber in Kafue at the weekend. The workshop was meant to provide information aimed at enhancing growth in and among cooperatives.
And addressing the farmers, guest speaker Mr. Hamwela Sikawala said farmers should view cooperatives as a business entity and not as a social club. Mr. Sikawala added that farmers should ensure their cooperatives make profits for the benefit of their communities.
He said Cooperative Facility for Africa which is a partnership programme implemented by ILO aims to help people to co-operate out of poverty as well as tackling a variety of development constraints such as unemployment, lack of social protection and lack of empowerment.
He announced that the programme will disburse three financial facilities called ‘Challenge Funds’ for services, innovation and training and that all funds will be accessible through a competitive bidding process.
Mr. Sikawala also emphasised that the funds which will be given out are grants and not loans and encouraged all farmers to utilize the opportunity and come up with good workable ideas so as to access the grants.
ENDS/ ZANIS/ KAFUE
We are fed up of these politicians and their hidden agendas. When will they ever understand that they are there to serve the nation?