Cooperatives appeal for ministry

Cooperative representatives have petitioned the Speaker of Parliament to press the executive to consider a fully-fledged ministry for them.

They argued that this would facilitate reviving the cooperatives in the country. The petition was on presented on Tuesday.

A member of the cooperatives Jane Amuge presented the petition on behalf of cooperatives to Speaker Rebecca Kadaga.

The cooperative movement has suffered setbacks in the recent years but there has been resurgence with increasing numbers of formed and registered cooperatives. 

So far over 16,000 cooperatives have been registered and some old societies on the verge of collapse have been given a lease of life.

"We cooperators of Uganda pray that the 10^th Parliament  causes the establishment of a fully-fledged , well-funded independent Ministry of Cooperatives with cooperative professionals and functional structures right from the sub county to the national level" the petition read in part.