Minister Alero Aza’s plans for stronger cooperatives in Acholi

Gulu | Minister of State for Cooperatives Alero Tom Aza has called on leaders and communities in Gulu City to embrace the cooperative movement as a practical pathway to wealth creation, poverty reduction and sustainable economic transformation.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to revitalising cooperative unions across Uganda while meeting the leadership of West Acholi Cooperative Union and Middle North Cooperative Union in Gulu City.

The two unions serve districts across the Acholi sub-region, with Middle North Cooperative Union also covering parts of the Lango and West Nile sub-regions.

Minister Aza said President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni had sent him to sensitise the public on the importance of cooperatives and to assess the status of the sector across the country.

He described Gulu as the heart of Acholi, further praising the sub-region’s resilient economic transition to monetary prosperity, saying it provides a strong foundation for thriving cooperative societies.

“Poverty alleviation must start from the household level and be driven through collective action. When people pull their resources together, they escape poverty much faster. Unity is strength, and that is the foundation of cooperatives,” the minister said.

He noted that while an individual farmer has limited bargaining power, organised cooperatives can negotiate better prices, access larger markets and improve members’ incomes.

Aza linked the cooperative movement to Uganda’s 10-Fold Growth Strategy, which seeks to transform the country from a lower-middle-income to an upper-middle-income economy by 2040 through commercial production and value addition.

He also said cooperatives directly contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly ending poverty, eliminating hunger, promoting decent work and strengthening partnerships.

He encouraged local leaders to mobilise communities to form strong and viable cooperatives rather than “briefcase cooperatives” that exist only on paper, and asked political leaders to provide unwavering support to cooperative societies by strengthening governance structures, supporting implementation of cooperative by-laws and protecting cooperative leaders from exploitation.

Registrar of Cooperatives, Robert Baryobaligye, who accompanied the Minister, urged the district commercial officers to work closely with cooperative unions by providing the technical support needed to keep them operational despite the challenges they face.

He expressed optimism that despite these challenges, the cooperative unions have remained operational and continue to play a vital role in improving livelihoods.

Baryobaligye noted that the government has an ambitious vision for strengthening the cooperative movement and restoring its contribution to economic development.

The Deputy Mayor of Gulu City Council, Geoffrey Alii, welcomed the minister and thanked the ministry for resuming engagements with local governments.

He applauded the government for introducing the Parish Development Model, describing it as a transformative wealth creation programme, and pledged the City’s full cooperation in strengthening cooperative development.

The Gulu City commercial office reported that although the department remains committed to providing training, technical guidance and support to all cooperative groups, the current staffing structure lacks both a Cooperative Officer and a Senior Cooperative Officer, limiting effective service delivery.

Aza responded that the ministry would study the issues and work with relevant government agencies to improve cooperative development across Gulu City and the country to make all cooperatives rearealisevelopment and prosperity.

From Gulu, he left for West Nile sub-region.