USAID CLEAR Program in Kenya Launches a Series of Cooperative Management Education Videos

The Cooperative Leadership Engagement Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) program, funded by USAID, Cooperative Development Program, recently developed a series of training and educational videos to capture the curriculums and materials developed over the life of the program. Cooperatives, SMEs, and others can benefit from these videos to learn about the basics of cooperative management, view a refresher after an in-depth training course, or share with their members and employees. Each category below includes a brief introduction to the video content and a link to each video in the series.

Cooperatives Policy and Legislation

Cooperatives are key contributors to Kenya’s economy and need a legal and regulatory framework that enables them to thrive as autonomous, member-focused businesses that create wealth for members and employment especially for youth. Cooperatives should seek opportunities to actively participate in and contribute to a more robust enabling environment. The CLEAR Program has made significant contributions to the policy and legal environment for cooperatives by engaging stakeholders at the county and cooperative level to ensure they have a voice in policy development.

CLEAR partnered with Strathmore University Business School (SBS) to launch an executive education program on public policy making for national and local government officials, private sector, and non-governmental organizations. This short video gives a brief introduction to the history of cooperatives in Kenya and the place of policy and legislation in the cooperatives space.

Cooperatives policy and legislation

Worker Cooperatives

Worker cooperatives are emerging as a business model responding to the changes in the nature of work and the growing service sectors. Cooperatives have a unique democratic governance structure of member-worker-owners, where decisions are made by the member-owners. Worker cooperatives differ from other types of cooperatives because members contribute to the financial success of the cooperative with their labor. Any type of business can be worker-owned and governed as a cooperative. Worker cooperatives are providing ways for entrepreneurship which allows workers to share in the work, risk, costs, and successes.

Worker cooperatives are a new business model in Kenya and have drawn much attention as a cooperative model with great potential to provide jobs for youth and improve their economic opportunities. CLEAR Program has been working to promote the worker owned business model through a multisectoral approach that ensures an integrated, collaborative process. CLEAR has coached 10 worker cooperatives through start up, registration, and growth. CLEAR also promotes education and learning, technical and legal support that is purposed towards making worker cooperatives thrive.

Learn more about the worker cooperative model here:

What is a worker cooperative and how does it differ from other types of cooperatives?

Compensation for worker cooperatives

Gender

As gender equity is increasingly seen as a pillar for sustainable economic development and broad social well-being, more attention is needed for alternative models to development, like cooperatives, which incorporate women’s equality in work. Cooperatives are rooted in concern for community as well as economic growth, so they are well-positioned to respond to gender inequalities.

Women around the world continue to face challenges when it comes to equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes. The Good Governance and Gender Equity curriculum provides engaging content on how cooperatives and gender champions can support gender equity in democratic governance, improved communication, and more gender sensitive workplaces.

The videos linked below provide a brief introduction to 6 of the modules included in the curriculum.

Gender and cooperatives

Gender Based Violence in cooperatives

Communication in households and cooperatives

Conflict prevention and resolution in cooperatives

Different ways of resolving and preventing conflict

Strengthening cooperatives through family planning and parenting

Financial Management

Financial management knowledge and skills are critical for the success and survival of cooperatives. Effective financial management practices can boost performance for cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In financial management cooperatives can ask themselves four key questions; What is financial management? Why is financial management important? Who is responsible for financial management?

Critical financial management practices include bookkeeping, financial reporting, budgeting and tax preparation. These videos outline the basics of these key financial management aspects.

Bookkeeping and Record Keeping

Cooperative Financial Reporting

Budgeting

Annual General Meeting

Taxation and Kenya Revenue Authority Compliance

Strategic Business Plan

A cooperative like any other business requires a road map or strategy that shows how the enterprise is managed and operated. This video highlights how development of business plans supports effective cooperative business management.

Strategic business plan documents for cooperatives

Governance

Cooperatives have complex governance requiring transparency, accountability, and clearly documented governance structures. The cooperative values and principles provide guidelines as to how cooperatives should be owned and governed. These principles call for an open, voluntary, and democratic process of decision-making, and cooperative governance as an essential tool in applying those values and principles.

The videos below introduce the basics on cooperative governance and management.

Governance and Management in Cooperatives

How to Resolve Conflict in Cooperatives

How to have effective meetings

Best practice by board of directors to enhance good governance

Importance of decision making in cooperatives