Tigebwa Farmers’ Co-operative Society from Uganda and the Association of Composting, Recycling and Waste Disposal (ACORAL) from Mozambique are the two primary co-operatives in Africa to have won the Game Changer Project grant from the International Co-operative Agricultural Organisation (ICAO). Each co-operative has been awarded USD $4,500 for the capitalisation of their enterprises.
The Game Changer project targets primary agricultural co-operatives, preferably women led, and will be implemented by the Alliance Africa through its members Uganda Co-operative Alliance (UCA) and Associacao Mocambicana Para Promocao Do Cooperativismo Moderno (AMPCM). The co-operatives are expected to purchase critical machinery, tools or equipment that will prove to be a game changer in terms of increased production and enhanced productivity.
ACORAL is a member of AMPCM and, since its creation, it has supported the municipality of Nampula in cleaning and garbage collection. They mobilise and create awareness about proper waste management in the communal unit on the street Eduardo Mondlane.
With this project, ACORAL believes that there will be more production and quality based on the organic fertiliser and, above all, sustainable protection of the environment and adequate sanitation of the environment at national level.
Tigebwa Farmers' Co-operative Society from South Western Uganda is a member of Nyabubare ACE, which has membership in the UCA. The co-operative society’s main enterprise is focused on banana growing and value addition to produce banana wine. However, their production capacity is limited due to manual processing of the banana wine.
Given some of the challenges that the Tigebwa Farmers’ Co-operative Society faces in terms of production and processing, they still see opportunities in increasing production and creating jobs for young people. The co-operative hopes to acquire equipment that will enable it to double the current production, create more jobs in production and the entire banana value chain.
Through this Game Changer Project, ICAO, Alliance Africa and its members are working towards achieving some of the Sustainable Development Goals.
