Cooperatives in Sudan: A Journey Through Time and Hopes for the Future – Something for the Homeland – ✍️ Mr. Salah Ghariba
On the first Saturday of July each year, the world celebrates the International Day of Cooperatives, to highlight their vital role in achieving sustainable development and creating fairer and more prosperous societies.
Cooperatives in Sudan are a story full of experiences and hopes. In the early 1920s, the first signs of cooperatives appeared with the encouragement of British colonialism, with the aim of protecting farmers from the greed of traders. This stage was represented by the emergence of agricultural credit associations in the Tokar Delta, in the east of the country. Then came the Renaissance (1970s), when the cooperative movement experienced a qualitative leap under the rule of former President Jaafar Numeiri. The number of cooperatives has increased 9 times, and the number of their members has increased 14 times. The number of cooperatives reached 4,868 in 1989, after 2,135 in 1975. Then there was a period of decline (from the 1990s to the present): over the past 30 years, the idea of cooperatives has been facing a campaign of distortion and persecution, which has led to its significant decline. Despite the calls of many specialists to reconsider the working mechanisms and methods of cooperative management, these calls have not been heard by decision-makers.
Sudan is currently facing a deepening economic crisis, which has led to high inflation and unemployment rates and a decline in the purchasing power of citizens. In these circumstances, the idea of cooperatives has resurfaced, as one of the possible solutions. to face these crises and achieve sustainable development. The importance of reviving cooperatives lies in the benefits, the most important of which is market control. Cooperatives help to limit the control of traders over prices, by providing basic products to consumers at fair prices. and facilitate the process of distribution and storage of food products, which helps to ensure food security. Cooperatives provide the necessary support to small farmers and artisans. By providing financing, marketing and training services, cooperatives help to create new employment opportunities, which helps to. reduce unemployment and promote economic development. Cooperatives provide broad opportunities for women's empowerment through their participation in various stages of cooperative work, and cooperatives contribute to the development of local communities, particularly by providing basic services and improving living standards.
The media plays an important role in spreading cooperative culture and supporting cooperative initiatives, by raising awareness of the importance of cooperatives. The media can play an important role in educating the public about the importance of cooperatives and their benefits, through publication programs, articles and reports. The media can highlight successful experiences of cooperatives in various fields, as role models. They encourage participation, and the media can support emerging cooperative initiatives, by providing the necessary space to promote them and disseminate their benefits. and roles. The media can combat misconceptions about cooperation and encourage a cooperative work culture.
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