Chongwe District Cooperatives Union has commended the government for empowering more women groups with grants and loans through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) over the past 3 years.
Speaking to ZANIS during an interview, Chongwe District Cooperatives Union Chairperson, Felix Mwendo said more women cooperative groups in the area have accessed loans and grants under CDF compared to those composed of men.
Mr Mwendo disclosed that the union has also noted that most women under the cooperatives in the area who have been accessing empowerment through CDF and have since ventured into various businesses.
He stated that the union is pleased with how self-sustainable women’s cooperatives have become since the increment of CDF in 2021.
“As a union, we are really impressed with the performance of women-led cooperatives that have been empowered through CDF in our district. We have witnessed enhanced growth and development of a lot of women cooperative groups as they have been able to set up lucrative businesses which have helped them to become self-sustainable,” Mr Mwendo said.
Mr Mwendo added that some women cooperatives in Chongwe have been able to take up projects which were dominated by cooperatives composed of men such as bush clearing along power lines and pylons as well as farming activities on a large scale.
He also thanked the government for ensuring that empowerment packages under CDF are extended to women in all parts of the district including those residing in rural parts of the area.
Mr Mwendo however called for more capacity building of women cooperatives in the area with financial literacy skills to enhance the financial management of the cooperatives.
“There is need for the government to facilitate training that will equip our women cooperative groups with knowledge and skills in financial literacy.
This will enable the cooperative groups to manage their finances better,” Mr Mwendo said.
He further reaffirmed the union’s call to include it and the department of Cooperatives as members of the CDF committee of Chongwe to help the committee identify legitimate cooperatives that are registered under the union to benefit from CDF.
