Jumabunguzi Cooperative secures a 2.2 Million kwacha grant to boost its Warehouse business
Jumabunguzi Cooperative is under the GIZ Kulima MEIRA project being implemented in Salima and Dedza districts targeting Smallholder farmer organizations and micro, small or medium sized enterprises (MSMEs). Members are equipped with knowledge and skills on collective marketing, farmer organization techniques, business training and negotiation skills in the market in order to grow their businesses so that they provide goods and services at a profit.
Located in Jobe village, Group Village Mgawi, Traditional Authority Maganga in Salima District, the cooperative deals in Collective marketing of Maize and groundnuts, Bulk input procurement of herbicides and other inputs.
The cooperative started off as a cluster in 2016 and the members decided to form a cooperative the same year. The total membership that time was 35 of which 20 men and 15 women. The cooperative now has 60 members in total, 45 female and 15 males. In 2019, the group registered as a cooperative with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism. The cooperative has also received a 700 metric tonnes warehouse and a 2.2 million grant for warehouse operations and investment into businesses from the Agricultural Commodity Exchange for Africa (ACE).
Chifundo Nailuwa, a trainer coach under the project explains how the work done by the cooperative has impressed him. “Within a short period that Jumabunguzi has been on the FO Cycle project (8 months), it has achieved tremendous progress: it has registered with the Ministry of Tourism & Trade, received a grant worth MK2.2 Million and so forth. Members of Jumabunguzi acknowledges that the FO Cycle training has accelerated the success of the group because the content of training has inspired the group reaching for higher achievements. It is not common to see positive impact of a project within a short period of time, so as Trainer/Coach for the group I am proud and happy to see beneficiaries of the project narrating the positive impact the project has on them and for the first time the FO has a positive outlook for the future”
The project is being implemented through the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism (MoITT), the project is working with various implementing Organisations including DAPP Malawi
