GNCUL launches train-the-trainers programme for Co-ops

DPI, Guyana, Friday, February 2, 2018

The Guyana National Co-operative Union Limited (GNCUL), launched its first train-the-trainers programmes for co-operative societies in Guyana. The exercise is aimed at equipping instructors to train persons within the co-operative sector.

During a simple ceremony, on Friday at its Waterloo Street office, Georgetown, Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott, spoke of the importance of the programme, even as the government works assiduously to revive the co-operative movement in Guyana.

Minister Scott told the participants that they are in a position to advance the sector to become one of the pillars of national development.  He said, in the past, the cooperative society served as one of the most dominant organisations that drove the economy, alongside the public and private sectors.

“You are meeting together with a purpose, to take Guyana through the roof, that purpose is to understand that if you could make the co-ops successful, we will succeed in making it the third pillar in this country’s economy…we will succeed in making it the place our children once had, where we as co-operators are producing whatever our land can give us and that we can contribute to the GPD,” Minister Scott explained.

Minister Scott pointed out that they are several types of cooperative societies (farmers, marketing, housing) that can be formed in each community across the country. He explained that once these co-operative societies can organise themselves, unemployment within the respective areas will be a thing of the past.

The Minister said education will play a critical role in ensuring that the co-operative societies reach their full potential and play their role in improving the livelihood of the people.

“If we can get each village to understand that by working together we can regenerate the kind of finances that is lying there, then we would know how to be thrifty and move forward. We will only fail if we fail to educate each other. It is because we recognise the importance of education that the GNCUL decided to launch the training programmes,” Minister Scott reiterated.

Chairman of the GNCUL’s Interim Management Committee, Derrick Cummings explained that though the numbers are small, the activity is significant; and this is the first step to fully resuscitating the cooperative societies in the country.

Cummings said that there is still a large number of resources within the cooperative movements, and over the past year, the government has been advocating the revival of the cooperative movement.

The training will be facilitated by Aubrey Crawford, who will be assisted by two prominent cooperative experts. The participants will cover 13 modules covering areas including transparency and accountability, management and auditing. The training will conclude in April 2018.

 

By: Synieka Thorne

 

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