Tama seeks to boost cooperatives’ business

The Tobacco Association of Malawi (Tama) on Friday wound up its training workshop for its area operation managers and business officers countrywide aimed at equipping them with skills in running cooperatives.

The training session was done in conjunction with the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Department of Cooperatives.

Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the training, Tama area operation manager for North Tonny Jamali said Tama share Malawi Government vision of ensuring that cooperatives, registered by government, are placed at the centre of development in the country.

Jamali said prior to the training, it was noted with concern by the institution that most cooperatives had gaps in running their businesses professionally.

“We noted that most of our cooperatives who we deal with were finding it difficult to sustain their finances to generate their own income, hence this training,” he said.

He said after the training, it is expected that the beneficiaries would become trainers in their respective areas in drilling cooperatives members in running the affairs of their businesses.

He said participants were also trained in how to formulate a business plan and were also encouraged to spread the word of diversifying businesses among cooperatives.

On his part, one of the key facilitators of the training workshop Chezani Otaniel, who is also principal cooperative management officer at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said government was pleased to note that Tama has been in the forefront in promoting small cooperatives across the country.

He, however, urged the association to double its efforts in providing adequate expertise to respective cooperatives as a way of building capacity among the cooperatives.