November 2017

Project to build a young generation of co-op entrepreneurs
DR CONGO
Alliance Africa
hosts co-operative
youth conference
The International Co-operative Alliance’s
Africa region held its second youth
conference last month, in Goma, DR Congo,
looking at ways to harness innovation
among the continent’s young people.
The continent has experienced a ‘youth
bulge’ in its population. This demographic
shift brings opportunities for Africa,
with a young population correlated with
economic development. The World Bank
says it could bring an 11-15% growth in GDP
between 2011 and 2030.
To explore this potential, the event
brought 104 participants together on 21
September, most of them youth co-op
representatives from four sub-regions of
Africa – representing Kenya, Uganda, South
Africa, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia,
Mauritius, Angola, Ghana and DR Congo.
Organisers said they want to give young
people in Africa a platform where they
could call for an enabling environment
where they could take part in the socioeconomic
development of Africa through
co-ops. With the theme “Harnessing
Innovation among Youth through Cooperatives”,
the conference gave young
people the chance to network with each
other, with co-operative members and
development partners, to further the
implementation of the UN Sustainable
Development Goals 2030. Special focus was
paid to goal 4 – relating to education; goal
8 – employment; and goal 9 – innovation.
Participants agreed to push harder for
talks with the government, civil society
and other stakeholders to overcome
the challenges facing young people –
of unemployment, underemployment,
disempowerment and disengagement.
With young people facing challenges
of unemployment and precarious jobs,
a training project has been launched
to give them skills in co-operative
entrepreneurship. The programme will
gather co-op mentors, youth workers,
young ambassadors, trainers and EU-wide
network representatives in an effort to give
young people the tools and opportunities
to create meaningful jobs and take control
of their lives.
Investment fund opens to boost Canada's co-operatives
Canadian co-operatives and mutuals
have committed CAD $25m to establish
the Canadian Co-operative Investment
Fund (CCIF). The CCIF will provide
financing for new and expanding
Canadian co-operatives in Canada. The
$25m committed to date is the threshold
agreed by partners as the start-up capital
required for a self-sustaining fund.
“Co-ops make a significant contribution
to the Canadian economy and society”,
added Guy Cormier, president and chief
executive of Desjardins Group.
UAE co-op launches online shopping service
Union Coop, the largest consumer co-op
in UAE, has launched an online shopping
site offering a wide range of household
and electronics goods from international
brands. Marketing director Suhail Al
Bastaki said the www.unioncoop.ae
website would offer convenient, quality
service at competitive prices. The website,
which is currently available in English
and will soon be available in Arabic,
sells mobile technology, cameras, home
entertainment and household appliances.
Rabobank $1bn Kickstarter sustainable food project
The world’s largest food and agribusiness
bank, Rabobank, has announced a USD
$1bn programme to start land restoration
and forest protection initiatives. The
three-year Kickstart Food project will see
the financial co-operative work with UN
Environment, focusing on four key areas:
Earth, Waste, Stability and Nutrition. The
fund forms part of the first area, Earth,
and aims to promote sustainably and
environmentally sound food production.
NOVEMBER 2017 | 17