Cooperative values and principles

The Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA) has established a list of values and principles that govern cooperatives in Rwanda. These include the following:

(i) Cooperatives are private enterprises business organisations. Organisations are owned by their members who manage and control their business activities. Government does not own the cooperatives nor does it have any powers to dictate any business decisions unless when social good demands.

(ii) Cooperatives are public organizations. Cooperatives are businesses in which members of the public are free to join and participate as customers or client subject to the by-laws of the cooperatives.

(iii) Cooperative Societies are “self-help” Organisations. Cooperative societies are one of the best ways for communities to organize themselves, in a business manner, to achieve common objectives and help share the realizable benefits of economic development.

(iv) Cooperatives require a free democratic state to grow. Members of cooperatives need to have freedoms of speech, association, movement and trade in order to be able to make their cooperative societies work. At the same time, members are entitled to adequate levels of cooperative education so that they can be informed of their rights and duties.

(v) Cooperatives facilitate decentralization. Cooperatives as grass root business entities are good vehicles for the implementation of the decentralization policies and regulations.

View details on the Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA) website.