Comprehensive Cooperative Capacity Building Project in Oromia and Tigray National Regional States

The project implemented by Environment and Coffee Forest Forum, and Adroit Consultancy and Training Service in Oromia and Tigray regions in  Arsi, W.Arsi, Bale, E.Shewa, , N.Shewa, S.W.Showa, W.Shewa, O.S.Z.S. Finfinne and Illu Aba-Bora Zone and in Tigray: Southern, Central, North-Western, Western Zones in financial support of Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA). The general objective of the project is to enabling target farmer cooperative unions to attain self-sufficiency in all six key areas and sub areas of competency: Function, Finance and Resource Management, Operations, Member participation and benefits, Management and governance.

The project aims to build the capacity of selected 16 agricultural Multipurpose Cooperative Unions (MCU), 80 Primary Cooperatives (PCs), and three (3) women dominated Primary Cooperatives in Oromia & Tigray National Regional States.

This project could be considered as one of the best success stories in the history of cooperative capacity building initiatives to-date. Some of the key results of the project were; – The delivery of various trainings which involved more than 1000 stakeholders in both regions.

• The development and implementation of more than 15 standard operating procedures
• The recruitment and placement of more than 40 MCU and PC skilled staff
• The design and hosting of 14 MCU websites
• The implementation of Peachtree accounting software for effective financial book keeping and reporting
• The development and/or amendment of governance guidelines
• Strategic business plan preparations and/or revisions for all unions, and approval by their general assemblies
• Identifying and creating the opportunity for market linkages with selected MCUs and PCs
• The auditing of _12 MCUs and 46 PCs were done and 6 Union were able to declare their dividend of Birr 11,962,255.15 to their member PCs
• 78 PCs & 16 MCUs were able to record their accounting transactions daily & closed monthly. – Share capital increased by existing members and new members to 741,121.00 Birr
• Total members increased by 6303 (2,648 of them were Women).

The commitments and supports of leaders of the Cooperative Agencies and the ATA both at the Federal and Regional levels had been instrumental to the success of this project. Moreover, the success of the project could also be attributed to the unique nature the CCB’s business model. The CCB project had been unique in its business model as the service providers were a coalition of local NGOs and consulting firms. Such model has provided a unique advantage to the client and to the beneficiaries due the pool of expertise, experience and knowledge of seasoned professionals.