African cooperative leaders share their observations on the 10th ILO-JCCU Study Tour
African cooperative leaders visited Japanese cooperatives and exchanged knowledge and practices in improving members’ livelihoods and addressing various development challenges in the changing world of work.
The 10th edition of the study tour was organized by the ILO and the Japanese Consumers’ Cooperative Union (JCCU) from 5-14 September 2019 in Tokyo and its vicinity. The study tour is aligned with the 6th cooperative principle “Cooperation among cooperatives” and aims to promote knowledge exchange between African and Japanese cooperatives for collaboration. The first edition was organized in 2010 within the framework of ILO’s CoopAfrica project (2008-11) for the promotion of cooperatives in nine countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. From 2010 to 2018, nine editions of the study tour have been organized with 38 cooperative leaders from 16 African countries.
This year, the following five cooperative leaders from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Nigeria participated in the study tour and visited a range of cooperatives in different sectors (e.g. agriculture, energy, finance and insurance, healthcare, childcare and eldercare, retail, and other services).
For instance at the Co-op Deli, a union of seven consumer cooperatives in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures with the total membership of 5 million, participants visited a grocery store that operates by solar energy produced on its rooftop and a recycling centre that processes recyclables collected from consumer members through Co-op Deli’s logistics channels. The recycling centre employs persons with disabilities to facilitate their social inclusion in partnership with local welfare organizations. The cooperative also presented its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for sales forecasting and voice ordering applications.
At the end of the study tour, a public seminar on cooperatives and the future of work was co-organized by ILO Tokyo and the Japan Co-operative Alliance (JCA) at the United Nations University in Tokyo. It brought together around 80 participants including H.E. Mohammad Gana Yisa, Ambassador of Nigeria to Japan, officials from Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan Embassies in Japan, trade union leaders, researchers and cooperative practitioners. Mr. Guy Tchami, Research and Policy Specialist at ILO COOP Unit, made a keynote presentation on the megatrends shaping the future of work and the potential of cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy (SSE) organizations in addressing these trends. Subsequently, five African cooperative leaders made presentations on the cooperative movement in their countries and activities of their cooperatives. Presentations were followed by an active discussions with participants on how to tap into the potential of cooperatives in addressing challenges in the world of work. The summary report of the seminar is available here.
The participants shared their observations during the study tour and next steps they would like to take in applying lessons learned in this report.
This year, the following five cooperative leaders from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Nigeria participated in the study tour and visited a range of cooperatives in different sectors (e.g. agriculture, energy, finance and insurance, healthcare, childcare and eldercare, retail, and other services).
- Ms. Joan Susan Atuhurra, Head of Finance and Administration, African Confederation of Co-operative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA)
- Ms. Ursula Bwari Gesembe, Advisor, Co-op Consultancy and Insurance Agency (CCIA; a subsidiary of Co-operative Bank of Kenya)
- Mr. Oladipo Olanrewaju Shobule, President, Lagos Mainland Multipurpose Cooperative Union; Board Member, Lagos Local Governments Multipurpose Cooperative; 2nd Vice President, Lagos State Cooperative Federation (LASCOFED)
- Mr. Somoe Ismail Nguhwe, Chairperson, TANESCO Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (TANESCO SACCOS); Board Member, Savings and Credit Cooperative Union League of Tanzania (SCCULT)
- Mr. August Ernest Kimario, Coordinator, Kilimanjaro Dairy Cooperative Joint Enterprise (KDCJE)
For instance at the Co-op Deli, a union of seven consumer cooperatives in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures with the total membership of 5 million, participants visited a grocery store that operates by solar energy produced on its rooftop and a recycling centre that processes recyclables collected from consumer members through Co-op Deli’s logistics channels. The recycling centre employs persons with disabilities to facilitate their social inclusion in partnership with local welfare organizations. The cooperative also presented its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for sales forecasting and voice ordering applications.
At the end of the study tour, a public seminar on cooperatives and the future of work was co-organized by ILO Tokyo and the Japan Co-operative Alliance (JCA) at the United Nations University in Tokyo. It brought together around 80 participants including H.E. Mohammad Gana Yisa, Ambassador of Nigeria to Japan, officials from Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan Embassies in Japan, trade union leaders, researchers and cooperative practitioners. Mr. Guy Tchami, Research and Policy Specialist at ILO COOP Unit, made a keynote presentation on the megatrends shaping the future of work and the potential of cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy (SSE) organizations in addressing these trends. Subsequently, five African cooperative leaders made presentations on the cooperative movement in their countries and activities of their cooperatives. Presentations were followed by an active discussions with participants on how to tap into the potential of cooperatives in addressing challenges in the world of work. The summary report of the seminar is available here.
The participants shared their observations during the study tour and next steps they would like to take in applying lessons learned in this report.