Rural organizations development

The Cooperative League of the USA (CLUSA) will be the primary implementing agency. The project"s regional trainers and village assistants will expand village-based training to 150 new cooperatives, emphasizing skills required for effective marketing, preparation of feasibility studies, credit applications, accounting systems, business management, and literacy. In total, the project is expected to train 650 cooperative members in administrative skills, 1,000 members in bookkeeping and other financial management skills, 245 members as literacy instructors, and 2,500 members in functional literacy. The project will also initiate economic activities in at least 25 women"s groups and continue to provide services to the 158 cooperatives formed under the previous project. To increase the cooperatives" profit potential, the project will assist in setting up informal market information systems, making use of data gathered by other organizations for exchange between cooperatives, collaborate in market research by the cooperatives, and organize study tours for cooperative leaders to neighboring countries. The project will also explore the possibilities of value-added activities, which may be joint ventures with private operators. CLUSA will provide short-term consultant services to cooperatives and individuals who wish to work with cooperatives in endeavors such as product packaging, processing, and export. To increase the cooperatives" access to credit, the project will continue to support the loan program administered by the Banque Internationale de L"Afrique Occidentale (BIAO). Specifically, the project will encourage BIAO to reduce its required loan guarantees for cooperatives with a proven credit record, increase the bank"s management role for the existing guarantee fund, and expand its participation in determining requirements and criteria for credit. The project will also explore the possibility of involving other banks in managing a loan guarantee fund for cooperatives.