The Minister of State for Cooperatives, Tom Alero Aza, on Wednesday launched a nationwide familiarisation tour to assess the state of cooperatives, starting with the City Council headquarters in Gulu.

During the engagement, Deputy Resident District Commissioner James Cosmas Okidi presented the concerns of district leaders. He appealed to the government to restructure district administrations to include cooperative officers, simplify access to Uganda Development Bank and Microfinance Support Centre funding, and revive the stalled digitisation of the registration system.

Leaders cited favouritism in machinery distribution and complained that city-based cooperatives are often sidelined in agriculture-related programmes.  

Minister Aza called on leaders to mobilise communities to shift from subsistence to commercial production through viable and member-owned cooperatives. He added that these entities are important for creating jobs, raising incomes, and achieving the tenfold economic growth strategy.

Aza urged leaders to revive West and East Acholi cooperative unions, provide political backing, and cautioned them against forming briefcase cooperatives.  He emphasised protecting members from exploitation, enforcing by-laws, and diversifying operations beyond agriculture to fully include urban communities.

Gulu district currently has 167 registered SACCOs. However, following the creation of Gulu City, Omoro, Amuru, and Nwoya districts, only 12 active SACCOs remain within Gulu’s current boundaries. The other 155 are now located in the neighbouring areas. Active entities within the district also include 38 multipurpose cooperatives, 47 PDM SACCOs, and several Emyooga SACCOs.