WINDHOEK, Aug. 10, (Xinhua) -- Namibian Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry John Mutorwa, on Thursday launched the Namibia Cooperative policy 2017.
At the launch, Mutorwa stated that currently there are 146 cooperatives in Namibia, with the majority being in the agriculture sector, and several others in the mining, manufacturing, financial and arts crafts.
Mutorwa said that the objective of the policy is to facilitate cooperative development in Namibia by providing scope for regulatory framework that allows for public-private partnership in cooperative development, while maintaining independence of cooperatives as private, member-led organizations.
The minister is confident that the Namibia Cooperative Policy will play a critical role in organizing farmers, miners, manufacturers, retailers, savings and credit groups to organize themselves into strong cooperatives which will be better integrated into formal economy.
The cooperatives will act as a link for Namibians, and especially economically disadvantaged persons, to take part in income generating activities and make cooperatives the main players in the economic development which will lead to a wider ownership of Namibian economic development, Mutorwa added. Enditem
