(Guest Writer)
By: Aruna Kamara (Bo)
The EU funded Opportunity Salone Programme which is implemented by the International Labour Organization, has empowered Sierra Leoneans with skills to train people on the setting up of cooperatives to enhance job creation and economic growth in the country.
Speaking at the training of trainers workshop at Beacon Lodge in Bo, the ILO Consultant for Cooperative Development Tools, Dissou Zomahoun, said that setting up cooperative is relevant to local economic development and that ‘cooperatives will improve the lives of the people as it can help them achieve what they cannot do when they are alone.
He added that this has been proven that setting up cooperative is not only for less developing countries but developed countries as well, which he believes should be promoted everywhere in the world.
Zamhoun shares that the setting up of vibrate cooperatives is good for the government of every country in order to help give a boost to economic growth, which also empowers business owners to come together and be self-resilient.
In his conclusion he encouraged participants to take what they have learnt in good practice to create opportunities for other young Sierra Leoneans, which will address the creation of decent jobs to boost livelihoods in their communities and Sierra Leone.
In appreciation Mohamed Mark Luseni who is one of the participants express that the training is timely and now has better understanding of cooperatives and how it can be run to serve as drivers to socio-economic development of a country.
Margaret Mansarray also a participant noted that women are critical to economic growth, with the right tools and skills the involvement of women setting up of cooperatives will help to improve their lives, boost the economic and help them contribute to national development.
Opportunity Salone aims to contribute to more decent job creation in terms of quantity and quality of jobs for women, young women and men and persons with disabilities mainly in rural areas in Sierra Leone through inclusive value chain development focused on SMEs and cooperatives, and feeder road maintenance to improve access to markets in all four districts of Port Loko, Makeni, Bo and Kenema.
The overall development objective of the Programme is to contribute to large scale job creation and job quality improvement in sustainable enterprises for unskilled or semi – skilled youth, women and persons with disabilities. In promotion of its objectives, the Programme is pursuing 3 major outcomes including Enhanced, conflict-sensitive, agricultural value chain and entrepreneurship development for SMEs, youth, women, and persons with disabilities, improved feeder road maintenance contributing to resolve infrastructure bottlenecks to immediate job creation and improved business environment for entrepreneurship development and feeder road maintenance.