Empowering the Cooperative Movement

through Advocacy EducationDr. Maria José Novoa

Senior Associate, NCBA CLUSAICA Global Conference & General

AssemblyCape Town, South Africa

MOZAMBIQUE MAP

Key Facts

• National Flag

• Capital: Maputo

• Official Language: Portuguese

• Local Languages: Swali, Makhuwa, Sena

MOZAMBIQUE

POPULATION

0-14 YEARS: 44.3%• male 4,829,272/female 4,773,209

15-64 YEARS: 52.8%• male 5,605,227/female 5,842,679

65 YEARS AND OVER: 2.9%• male 257,119/

female 361,772 (2009 est.)

MOZAMBIQUE

MO

ZAMBI

QU

E

• Life expectancy at birth, total (years)• Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty line (% of population)

• Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above)

• Economy

MOZAMBIQUE

agriculture: 29.5%industry: 23.9%services: 46.5% (2012 est.)

GNI Per capita: US$510GDP: US$14.59 billion (2012)

FROM OBSOLET E

TOMODERN

COOPERATIVES

Mozambican cooperatives were a classic case of cooperative development under socialism.

We started a long process of change

MOZAMBIQUE

ASSOCIATIONS VERSUS COOPERATIVES

• The National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA), through its CLUSA international program, has been working in Mozambique since 1995, when the socialist era ended.

• At that point in time, “cooperative” was a pejorative term associated with government control, so NCBA had to strategically devise another way to promote working together, collective marketing, and group business entities.

MOZAMBIQUE

THE SUCCESS OF THECOOPERATIVE

CONCEPT

• Associations soon became a way for a group to incorporate and work toward a common goal together

• But the legal framework did not provide space for associations and other groups to market and sell their crops legally as a business enterprise.

MOZAMBIQUE

PARTICIPATIVE LEARNING

Understanding the differences between cooperatives,

associations , and business enterprises, their different

assumptions, concepts and roles, has been a long and participative

discovery from bottom to top.

FORM STUDY CIRCLES

We started with a small but highly interested group of people concerned about the need for change and involved in the co-op movement.

We started studying in a informal way, seated where ever possible, first with CLARITY concepts and then internet research on good practices.

We found fantastic stories about new approaches to cooperatives from around the world.

FROM SMALL TO LARGE, ADDING VALUE

WHY STUDY CIRCLES?

• Study circles are very suitable for civil society.

• Democracy is very much emphasized these days in the world of international development cooperation. Adult education is not. When democratic development is supported by donor countries, the emphasis is on democratic infrastructure, while little is done to increase the possibilities of ordinary citizens to become well-informed and active in the process of building democracy at the local level. No real democracy can be established without democratic citizens.

• In a participative methodology participants take an active part in the study process.

FOLK DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION & DEMOCRACY

1. Participation is voluntary.

2. There is typically open access to study circles – one does not have to have any qualifications to participate.

3. There are limited number of persons in a circle, normally somewhere between 5 - 10 persons.

4. Persons of different ages are mixed in the circles.

5. Study circles often meet 3 hours once a week

6. Study circles are organized by the participants, i.e. they choose the topic, leader, etc.

7. A circle can be led by a leader, who does not have to be an expert – in fact it may be one of the participants. On the other hand, experts often act as leaders.

8. Participants should have an equal share of the conversation. The atmosphere should be informal.

9. Study circles can be linked to various political, religious and social interests and perspectives.

10. There are typically no examinations.

11. The ability to listen and recognize to the contributions of others is fundamental in the study circle philosophy.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDY CIRCLES

CREATING THE NEED FOR

COOPERATIVES

INSTEAD OF TALKING ABOUT THE NEGATIVE PAST AND THE MISTAKES MADE …

We started to disseminate successful

cooperative stories from around the

world to demonstrate that other

countries – even ones with a similar

history of colonialism or socialism –

can and are creating an enabling

environment for the successful and

democratic functioning of

cooperatives.

• BRAZILIANS INVITED TO COME TO TELL THEIR STORY

• DIRECTLY ENGAGE WITH POLICYMAKERS AT ALL LEVELS

ADVOCACY STRATEGY

DRAFTING COOPERATIVE LAW

AND EDUCATIING CONSTITUENTS

• We recruited one Mozambican lawyer and two foreign lawyers to review the first draft cooperative law we had in mind. Once the draft was finished, we started one year of public debates and discussions.

• In this process, the lawyers were our supporters and facilitators. They were part of the whole process.

• Through discussions at all levels we improved the proposed new cooperative law. Everybody could contribute and feel we respected their contributions.

• GROUP DISCUSSIONS

RECRUITING LAWYERS

INVOLVE ALL OF SOCIETY

• Political parties, banks, companies

• Students, intellectuals

• Farmers

• I

• Through absolute dedication to dialogue and inclusion of all parts of society, from civil society to those in economic and political power and intellectual opinionleaders, from North to South, from the supporters to opponents, from all economic sectors including banks, private sector business, political parties and so on...

• Listening to and understanding our oponents was a means to clarify doubts and educate, and a way to bring greater consensus on the draft law.

• The development process must be organic and follow the course desired by the Mozambicans themselves.

DIALOGUE

PROMOTING THE COOPERATIVE MODEL

• Mobilizing key groups around the benefits of cooperatives

• Focus on target audiences and promote the process as a domestic one as much as possible, with only the necessary and consensual overseas involvement.

• Partnerships, alliances and coalitions are key to making connections and having an organic advocacy program.

• In the field

• In trade shows

• In the media

ADVOCACY STRATEGY CHANGES

MEDIA MARKETING

• Using all media, including community radio, television newscasts, and advertising in newspapers´ front page bottom section

• Community radios

• TV News

• Linking the former President with Co-ops

MEDIA STRATEGY / MAKING A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN

ADDRESSING THE PUBLIC IMAGE OF COOPERATIVES THROUGH PROMOTING

QUALITY AND SCALE

• PROMOTING COOPERATIVE PRODUCTS

• Work with people and not for the people

This is absolutely crucial

• Exhibitions

• Showing the power of cooperatives

• Engaging decision makers

Partnerships, alliances, and coalitions are key to making the connections and having an organic advocacy program.

DEMONSTRATE DYNAMISM

Promote awareness of the cooperative model and new regulations among target audiences.

Demonstrate dynamism within the cooperative sector in order to strengthen the notion of cooperatives as a wide-reaching, sustainable economic model of development.

Increase credibility and legitimacy of the cooperative model.

Link cooperatives and associations and their goods/services with external markets, supporting government agencies and potential funders.

• CONFERENCES

ABSOLUTE DEDICATION

• Final delivery to parliament

• Approved by unanimity and acclamation

CONSENSUS VERSION OF DRAFT NATIONAL COOPERATIVE LAW

DELIVERED TO PARLIAMENT

CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

A Historic Moment in Mozambique’s History

“On behalf of this parliament, I would like to thank NCBA and the civil society group for their civic initiative and for the way they have conducted this process. For the first time, together we have created a law which came from civil society. This proves that together we can build and develop our country.”

Drª Verónica Nataniel Macamo DlhovoThe President of the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique

April 30, 2009

Mozambican Association for Modern Cooperative Promotion ( AMPCM )

• We started our process with few coalition partners, mainly from the agro-business sector.

• We worked together as an informal task force team.

• Following a strategy of inclusion and wide vision, step by step, as a result of our initiatives we brought together more and more organisations from different economic sectors and regions.

• Now we are a legal entity promoting the new cooperative law and model through the Mozambican Association for Modern Cooperative Promotion (AMPCM) and in the long term to turn it into a National Cooperative League.

• THE CONSTITUTION OF A FORMAL ENTITY

FROM A STUDY CIRCLE TO A CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION

Muita Obrigada!

Maria José Novoamnovoa1952@gmail.com

Thank you!