A cooperative is “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-controlled enterprise”.
A Co-operative Society is an autonomous association of persons who voluntarily come together to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.
Who is eligible?
- Group of ten (10) people or more, aged eighteen (18) years and above, for all other types.
- Group of twenty (20) people or more, aged eighteen (18) and above, for Financial co-operatives.
How do I get this service?
Visit the Co-operatives office in your locality and submit an application for registration made to the Director on the application form for co-op which shall be signed by all members.
- If satisfied that the society has met all the requirements and approves registration, the Director shall issue a certificate of registration to the society together with a certified copy of the bye-laws.
- If the Director refuses to register a society, he/she shall give reasons for the refusal in writing to the applicants.
- If not happy with the decision of the director, lodge an appeal with the Minister within one (1) month. The Minister’s decision on the appeal shall be final.
What supporting documents are required?
- 3 copies of bye-laws [i.e. rules set by the members in order to guide in carrying out the day-to-day activities of a Co-operative Society, formulated prior to registration and must be in line with the Co-operative Act] written in English
- A report on the viability of the proposed cooperative which shall be in the prescribed form
The Cooperative movement in Botswana led by Botswana Cooperative Association (BOCA) which is the Apex Organisation, is determined to exploit all the available opportunities in the country to brand, grow and educate the public about cooperatives. These events are conducted continuously on yearly basis.
The movement in Botswana has continued to grow as most Batswana have started to appreciate and embrace the cooperative model in doing business. There are 315 registered cooperatives in Botswana with over 200 000 members and employing over 1000 people. Out of these, 83 are Financial Cooperatives (SACCOS) while 232 are Non-financial Co-operatives.
1. Engagement
The National Policy for Cooperative Development together with the Cooperative Transformation Strategy for Botswana which is aligned to the “Africa Cooperative Development Strategy 2017 – 2020 ” is aiming at luring vulnerable population groups (youth and women) into forming cooperative businesses. The Government through the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry has conducted Capacity Building Workshops country-wide targeting women and youth. The workshops were aimed at equipping attendants with Cooperative Philosophy and Management. As a result, there is an increase in membership, especially for both women and youth in Cooperatives.
2. Cooperative Image and Identity
The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry has identified platforms such as fairs & exhibitions and media where the value of cooperatives will be communicated to different audiences. Through these outreach programmes, peoples are in turn forming cooperatives businesses in large numbers thereby increasing membership. The government have made it a standard to intensify these marketing campaigns every year. Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (BOLESWA) Youth Co-operatives Forum was held in December 2019 with Botswana as the host country. The forum was launched by ICA–Africa as one of its sub-structures in 2016. This event is aimed at contributing to the Co-operative Transformation Strategy Pillar that seeks to promote Youth participation in Co-operatives.
What are the 5 types of cooperatives?
Types of Cooperatives
- Producer / Marketing Cooperatives.
- Consumer Cooperatives.
- Worker Cooperatives.
- Housing Cooperatives.
- Financial Cooperatives.
- New Generation Cooperatives.
- Multi-Stakeholder Cooperatives.
- Non-profit Community Service Cooperatives.
What are the 6 types of cooperatives?
They are:
- Producer Cooperatives. Members are engaged in production in separate enterprises, such as farms, artist studios, or fishing boats.
- Worker Cooperatives. These businesses are owned by some or all of the workers.
- Consumer Cooperatives.
- Credit Unions.
- Retail or Purchasing Cooperatives.
- Social Cooperatives.
How many types of cooperatives are there?
There are six types of cooperative societies based on their nature of work.
What are the different types of cooperative organizations?
The various types of cooperative organizations are:
- Producer’s cooperative Society.
- Industrial Co-operative Society.
- Consumer’s co-operative Society.
- Saving and credit cooperative society.
- Marketing cooperative society.
- Farming co-operative society.
- Housing co-operative society.
- Miscellaneous co-operative society.
What are the three main types of cooperatives?
Types of Co-ops
- Consumer Cooperatives. Consumer cooperatives are owned by members who use the co-op to purchase the goods or services that they need.
- Worker Cooperatives.
- Producer Cooperatives.
- Purchasing or Shared Services Cooperatives.
- Multi-stakeholder Cooperatives.