By: Ronald Orachwun

The leadership of Okoro Coffee Growers Cooperative Union in Zombo District has appealed to the government for financial support to help revive the union, which is struggling to operate due to financial constraints.

The appeal was made during a training and capacity-building engagement for newly elected leaders and members of the governing body of the union held at Ayuda in Zombo District.

The training, facilitated by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, was aimed at equipping the new leadership with skills in governance, leadership, financial management and the general administration of cooperative unions.

The leaders were also encouraged to develop strategies that can strengthen the union’s operations and enable it to compete with established cooperative unions such as Bugisu Cooperative Union in eastern Uganda.

Scovia Tusubira from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives said the newly elected leaders still had limited knowledge and experience in managing the affairs of a cooperative union.

Tusubira said strengthening the leadership through training was necessary to improve governance, accountability and the financial management of the union.

Jalacida Collins, the Vice Chairperson of Okoro Coffee Growers Cooperative Union, described the union’s current financial situation as being in an “intensive care unit” and called for urgent intervention from the government and other stakeholders.

Collins said the union would identify key areas requiring government support and engage the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives to explore possible interventions, partnerships and strategic collaborations.

She also said the union would seek opportunities to benchmark its operations against successful cooperative unions in other parts of the country in order to learn from their experiences and improve its performance.

The leaders resolved not to allow Okoro Coffee Growers Cooperative Union to collapse, instead pledging to strengthen its operations by increasing coffee production and mobilizing resources to support its activities.

The union also plans to increase coffee exports through value addition, assess, and validate its idle assets as part of efforts to generate additional revenue and restore the union’s financial stability.

The leadership believes that with government support, improved management and increased participation of coffee farmers, Okoro Coffee Growers Cooperative Union can regain its financial strength and play a greater role in improving the livelihoods of coffee farmers in Zombo District.