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One thing that has fascinated me for a long time is the mythical and romantic view that entrepreneurs must operate in an unstructured environment, roaming free with limited adherence to the basics of corporate business. This idea is always further exaggerated and assumed when applied in the African context — cue colonial views of “the […]

For some people, it’s achieving a level of respect and accomplishment. Others benchmark their personal relationships. Of course, we all know some people who judge it only by the size of their bank accounts. Regardless, there are certain behaviors and habits that you’ll find the most successful people have in common. Even more important, there are […]

As humans, we are all connected in some way or another through this pandemic! It’s been amazing to see so many people locally and globally connect and support each other! One thing I’ve learnt in this life is that we can’t walk it alone! Community allows us to support one another, interact, share experiences and […]

Communities are groups of people who, for a specific subject, share a specialty, role, passion, interest, concern, or a set of problems. Community members deepen their understanding of the subject by interacting on an ongoing basis, asking and answering questions, sharing information, reusing good ideas, solving problems for one another, and developing new and better […]

According to the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), a cooperative society is an association of people that come together to pool resources together to engage in business or economic activities for the purpose of improving their welfare. The cooperative movement began in Europe in the 19th century, primarily in Britain and France. Robert Owen (1771–1858), a […]

Cooperatives are critical to reducing poverty. All cooperatives, social or economic, are mechanisms that ensure the growth and prosperity of communities. In developing and transitioning countries that lack access to capital, education, and training, cooperative structures allow communities to pool together their resources to solve problems, identify common goals and target the causes and symptoms […]

The Principles That Guide Cooperatives All cooperative businesses around the world operate in accordance with the following 7 cooperative principles. Voluntary and Open Membership Democratic Member Control Member Economic Participation Autonomy and Independence Education, Training and Information Co-operation among Co-operatives Concern for Community “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” […]

Co-operatives UK, working with MPs on a cross-party basis, has helped secure a Parliamentary debate on the contribution of co-operatives to the economy on 14 December 2021. The rising prominence of co-operatives in sectors including energy, housing, digital-creative and the gig economy is gaining attention, at a time when significant economic, social and environmental challenges […]