The 13th Africa Ministerial Cooperative Conference (AMCC) took place on 17 - 20 October, in Cairo, Egypt, bringing together 249 participants from 44 countries.
The conference was attended by ministers and representatives from ministries responsible for cooperative development from 20 countries: Botswana, Côte D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tunisia, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
ICA President Ariel Guarco, who participated in the event, said: "It was an extraordinary opportunity to exchange visions and proposals between the cooperative movement and government representatives from different African countries. Africa is a young, powerful continent where the cooperative model has much to offer.” Read his full speech here (in Spanish).
During the event, the Africa Cooperative Development Strategy 2023-2033 was launched. The document sets out a vision for the sector, with recommended objectives and strategies for both the movement and African states.
The meeting was preceded by the Technical Committee of Africa Ministerial Cooperative Conference (TCAMCCO) - an ICA-Africa annual forum. A meeting of the ICA Global Board also took place in Cairo on 16 October.
The conference concluded with the adoption of the Cairo Africa Ministerial Cooperative Conference Declaration, through which the ministers in attendance responsible for cooperative development in Africa pledged to support the cooperative movement and enhance the capacity of ICA-Africa through government contributions to the Africa Endowment Trust Fund. Read the declaration here.
Held since 1984, AMCC provides a forum for cooperative policy makers in government and the cooperative movement, enabling different stakeholders to review past performances and provide direction for cooperative development in Africa.
The meeting also featured an election for a youth for the ICA-Africa Regional Board.
Read the full report from the conference here.
