Kenya to support cooperative movement in Southern Sudan

November 5, 2008 (NAIROBI) — The Kenyan government has agreed to assists Juba to develop cooperative movement in southern Sudan by supporting capacity building for the cooperative movement and technical officers in the semi-autonomous region.

Joseph Nyagah, Kenyan minister of Cooperative development and Philip Yona Jambi the Government of Southern Sudan Minister of Cooperatives and Rural Development signed Wednesday an agreement on education and training of cooperative principles at the Ministry of Cooperatives’ in Nairobi.

“We shall support your ministry in developing curricula and disseminating cooperative education and training pro grammes in a bid to revive cooperatives in your country,” Nyagah has said.

The Kenyan official underlined the importance of the role played by the cooperative movement in the economic growth of most of the developing countries. He further urged the southern Sudan government to take the agreed venture seriously.

He said it is also expected that officers from the two countries shall meet twice every year to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the memorandum of understanding.

The minister asked Southern Sudan to make use of Kenya’s co-operative movement whose strength he said transcends all the other sectors of the economy with an asset base in excess of Sh180 billion.

(ST)