Kigali, 18th October 2019

The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) requested Rwanda to host the headquarters of its Sub Regional Office for East Africa in the capital, Kigali.

This wish was formally presented by Dr Ariel Guarco, President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) during a courtesy call that he paid on Prime Minister on Friday in his office in Kimihurura.  

Dr Ariel Guarco has been in Rwanda to attend the ICA Global Conference "Cooperatives for Development" that took place from 14th -17th October 2019 in the Kigali Convention Centre.

During their discussions, Prime Minister Ngirente was also informed about the resolutions taken during the ICA Global Conference and the 1st Inter-Ministerial Conference that took place on the sidelines of the conference. 

Some of these resolutions are to build capacity for cooperatives, provide access to finance and making sure that cooperative movements are integrated into the Sustainable Development Goals. 

According to statistics from Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA), 9,706 cooperatives are totalled in Rwanda with a share capital of more than Rwf47.8 billion and over five million members (comprising over 2.77 million men, and over 2.25 million women).

At the global level, there are some 3 million cooperatives which provide employment to more than 280 million people.

For pictures of the audience, click here