THE Kilimanjaro Regional Commissioner Mr Stephen Kagaigai said the government will continue to strengthen the cooperative sector to enhance its contribution in boosting the economy since independence.
Mr Kagaigai made the remarks when opening the Northern Zone version of the 60th anniversary of the independence symposium, which was held in Moshi, Kilimanjaro region on Monday.
“The cooperative unions and societies continue to be an important link between farmers and the government despite several challenges that emerged during the 60 years of independence”, he said.
He added, “One of the challenges that arose at the time was the missing link between farmers and the government; it is my hope that you will use the symposium discuss this challenge and come up with proposals to enable the government address it”
He also urged experts in the cooperative sector to continue conducting researches that would help empower farmers to produce more.
He advised them to make their publications in simple languages to enable farmers to understand and use the results of studies to produce more.
For his part, the representative of the Registrar of Cooperatives in the symposium Dr Edmund Zakayo said that the cooperative sector has made a significant contribution to the growth of the national economy through various crops such as coffee.
“Even today its contribution continues to be observed due to the fact that the government has increased the variety of crops including avocados that will be produced and marketed through cooperatives under the government’s strategic plan to promote strategic crops”, he added.
He continued to say that the cooperative sector has continued to grow within 60 years of Tanzania’s independence, individually among Tanzanians through the Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies (Saccos).
“Before independence, the cooperative sector flourished the country through a combination of various crops such as coffee, sisal and tea.
However, the cooperative has continued to benefit Tanzanians individually through Saccos and also through the Village Co-operative Banks (Vicoba) thus strengthening the individual economy”, he said.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the Moshi Cooperative University (MoCU) Prof Alfred Sife, said the symposium, themed ‘The Contribution of Cooperatives to the Economic Development of Tanzania’ aimed to bring together academics in the fields of business, cooperatives and markets to discuss and come up with resolutions that would enable the government to strengthen the co-operative sector in the country.
“This symposium has involved stakeholders from the Institute of Finance Management (IFM), the Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy (MNMA), Mzumbe University (MU) the College of Business Education (CBE) and the Institute of Accounts Arusha (IAA) and the hosts MoCU”, he said.
Prof Sife continued to say that as part of MoCU will continue to provide quality cooperative education with the intention of producing professionals and ethical practitioners to the cooperative sector which he said played a big role in contributing to the growth of the national economy.
“I call upon the youth to come forward in large numbers and provide their contributions to the sector which is essential for the growth of the national economy; young people must get rid of the misconception that the cooperative sector is for the elderly and that it is the sector that concerns retirees”, he said.
He said that the cooperative sector was an integrated issue whereby everyone, regardless of age or gender, can participate with the aim of boosting the national economy and that of the individuals.