North West coops challenged to become vibrant entities

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 10:22:58 +0000

By JACK MAPAPAYI

THE cooperative movement in North Western Province has been challenged to emulate President Edgar Lungu’s passion to revamp the cooperatives into vibrant entities again.

Zambia Cooperative Federation president Michael Chinganya said revamping the cooperative movement into vibrant societies would benefit the movement and the nation through economic development.

He was speaking during his tour of three cooperatives in the province.

He said the aim of the visit was to learn and understand the primary objectives of the cooperatives from the district up to provincial level.

He said it was high time the cooperative movement emulated the Head of State’s passion for cooperative movement by becoming vibrant societies again through diversification to other business activities than concentrating on agriculture only.

He disclosed that North Western Province was the third province to be visited after Eastern and Western provinces, describing the tour as beneficial to the institutions in terms of planning.

And ZCF director general James Chirwa assured the co-operators in the province on the delivery of the solar hammer mills.

He said the region will receive 128 solar milling plants with Solwezi district receiving 22 plants, with one already installed in Kalumbila district.

He urged primary cooperatives to merge and create larger cooperatives to become viable entities.

Mr Zimba said the activities of the cooperative movement were not only limited to agriculture business but even other sectors.

Meanwhile, North Western Province senior cooperatives officer Katasha Sinyangwe has implored the co-operators to run the institutions with a well-defined concept.

And co-operators in the province have thanked ZCF for sensitising them on the benefits of merging and have promised to implement the concept.

Chavuma district cooperative chairperson Benson Mahafu applauded ZCF support, saying the district cooperative union was ready to meet primary cooperatives and sensitise them on the importance of merging into larger cooperatives.