Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Dr. Wycliffe Oparanya has officially assumed the role of Chair of the Africa Ministerial Cooperative Conference (AMCCO), pledging to champion regulatory reforms and elevate the cooperative movement across the continent over the next three years.
Oparanya takes over from Major General Eng. Waleed Farouk Saeed Elbarody of Egypt, who served from 2022 to 2025 and oversaw the signing of the Cairo Declaration, which committed African ministers to advancing sustainable economic development through cooperatives.
Speaking when he presided over the 14th Africa Ministerial Cooperative Conference (AMCCO) in Nairobi, in his acceptance speech, Dr. Oparanya lauded the progress made under AMCCO, particularly the formulation of the Africa Cooperative Model Law.
He pledged to work closely with member states to operationalize the framework and ensure it becomes a cornerstone of inclusive growth.
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“I want to encourage more African countries to adopt and dominate this framework. Leadership is a responsibility that demands vision, empathy, and unswerving dedication,” he said.
He emphasized that cooperatives must be positioned as engines of transformation, capable of tackling poverty, inequality, and driving innovation and sustainability. “Together, we can make cooperatives the cornerstone of Africa’s transformation,” he added.
Jeroen Douglas, the Director General of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), described the cooperative movement as the best-skilled alternative to raw capitalism. He unveiled ICA’s new strategy for 2026–2030, focused on growth and resilience under the slogan “Practice, Promote, and Protect.”
By Masaki Enock
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