The organized private sector in the South East geopolitical zone are set to host an International Cooperative Investment Forum/ Exhibition, tagged ICIFE 2015 to raise awareness on cooperative societies as credible change agents for poverty reduction through rural empowerment.
The ICIFE which is slated for the third week of October in Owerri would bring together delegates of cooperative groups in all of the South East zone.
Peter Okoye, chairman of the organizing committee ICIFE 2015, in an interview with BusinessDay, said, the conference is being organised by the South East Cooperative Financing and Investment Limited (SESCOOP), a body that oversees all cooperative societies in the geopolitical zone.
Also, Geoffrey Samuel, president of SESCOOP informed that resource persons were being sourced from some developing countries that have made impact with cooperative movement, which has brought about empowerment of their rural communities.
According to Okoye, the conference would also be used to get the governors of the five eastern states: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo to formulate economic policies that favour cooperative movement in the states of the zone.
Okoye said each of the governors would be speaking at the conference on his economic programmes, especially as they pertain to the promotion of micro and small businesses in his state.
Meanwhile, different cooperative groups and manufacturers of products would be exhibiting their products at different exhibition stands that would be mounted at the conference venue.
The ICIFE 2015 would be the first of its kind in South East, and would used to rejuvenate cooperative culture, which according to Geoffrey Samuel, president SESCOOP, has not particularly been active in the zone, unlike the South West geopolitical zone.
The ICIFE 2015 organising committee chairman, Okoye stated that the conference would also be use as a plank to float a regional cooperative bank, which he said when established would be advancing micro-crdits to cooperative societies, which would enable them undertake mico and small businesses that would empower mainly the rural people of the zone.
He spoke of SESCOOP using the conference to carry out cooperative education; recalling that in recent time, the body has been sensitizing people through massive cooperative education such as printing of leaflets, campaigns and other information, education and communication (IEC) materials to all the different local governments in the states of the zone, on the benefits of forming a cooperative or belonging to one.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey Samuel, the president of SESCOOP, said there is an urgent need for the South East zone to catch up with other parts of Nigeria, as well as other developing countries in Africa that have made great achievements with cooperative movement. Such countries are: Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Namibia, among many others.
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