Uganda has launched a national programme to expand specialised academic training in cooperatives, as the government seeks to strengthen management, governance and financial performance across the sector.
The Cooperative Education Programme, launched at the National Cooperative Conference 2026 at Makerere University Business School (MUBS), will support diploma, undergraduate, master’s and PhD-level programmes in cooperative studies.
Third Deputy Prime Minister Rukia Isanga Nakadama, representing President Yoweri Museveni, said cooperatives play an important role in mobilising savings, expanding access to finance, improving production and linking households to markets.
State Minister for Cooperatives Tom Alero Aza called on cooperatives and savings and credit cooperative organisations (SACCOs) to improve governance and accountability while adopting digital technologies.
He urged cooperatives involved in agriculture to invest in value addition for commodities including coffee, cocoa, Hass avocado and vanilla, rather than relying mainly on sales of raw produce.
Aza also called for regular annual general meetings, transparent financial reporting and the reinvestment of cooperative earnings into profitable ventures. He cited Kenya as a country whose cooperative practices could provide lessons for Uganda.
MUBS Deputy Principal Professor Rachel Mindra Katoroogo said the university was completing the approval process and expected to begin offering cooperative courses in 2027.
Uganda Cooperative Alliance General Secretary Ivan Asiimwe described the programme as an important step towards developing a more professional cooperative sector.
The move comes as cooperatives and SACCOs play an expanding role in Uganda’s efforts to promote financial inclusion, agricultural production and household incomes. The government has increasingly used cooperative structures, including SACCOs, to channel financial support to communities under programmes such as the Parish Development Model.
The new academic programmes are expected to provide a formal training pathway for managers and professionals working in the cooperative sector, while supporting research and specialised expertise in cooperative finance, governance and enterprise development.
