Ecolex Logo
The gateway to
environmental law
Search results » Legislation

National Policy on Cooperatives in Rwanda.

Country/Territory
Rwanda
Document type
Date
2018
Source
FAO, FAOLEX
Subject
Agricultural & rural development
Keyword
Agricultural development Cooperative/producer organization Policy/planning Contract farming Business/industry/corporations
Geographical area
Africa, AFRICA FAO, Eastern Africa, Landlocked Developing Countries, Least Developed Countries
Abstract

This policy paper proposes a number of policy options that aim improving the governance of the cooperative movement. Cooperatives are farms, businesses or other organizations owned jointly by its members, who share the profits or benefits. The acknowledgement of the role of cooperatives in contributing to the regional, international and national development agendas, as well as promoting inclusive, sustainable development and economic transformation is the driving force behind the formulation of this policy. The overriding objective of the policy is to enable the cooperative movement play its vital role towards the transformation of the national economy. The specific objectives of the policy includes to (a) revisit the structure of the Rwanda Cooperative Agency to respond to new dynamics in the various sectors of the cooperative development; (b) Redefine the organizational structure of cooperative movement; (c) Improve the current management and accountability system in the overall structure of cooperative movement; (d) Improve the government and cooperative policy dialogue to enhance cooperative’s contribution in the national development; among others. The plan also pointed out that cooperatives contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) and are necessarily linked to the 17 SDGs. The plan noted challenges pertaining to the institutional and policy framework of cooperatives like issues with streamlining of the process of formation and registration of cooperatives, issues of categorization of cooperatives, lack of policy guidance for cooperatives with high investment potentials, insufficient policy oversight on internal accountability mechanisms, etc. At the time of the formulation of the policy, there were 8406 registered cooperatives, a significant bump from the 919 as at 2005, prior to the first cooperative policy; worthy to note that the analysis shows that the agricultural sector has more membership than any other cooperative sector. The Policy is to be implemented through the role of government and stakeholders including the Central Government, Ministry of Trade and Industry, key Government Agencies, the National Bank of Rwanda, the Districts, cooperative unions etc. Essentially, this is a policy review brought about by the need to adapt cooperative organizations that have hitherto been operating within the old legal framework and outdated policy. Another reason for the review is the changes in information and communication technology, the changes in the development landscape etc.

Full text
English