By Archford Chirimudombo
Harare, (New Ziana) –There is need for cooperatives to embrace modern technology as a means of strengthening their businesses, improving efficiency and ensuring long-term sustainability, a Cabinet Minister has said.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Monica Mutsvangwa, said this on Wednesday at a workshop to disseminate and unpack the Revised National Cooperatives Development Policy.
She encouraged cooperative members to adopt digital payment systems, electronic record-keeping and online platforms to expand their access to markets.
Mutsvangwa also highlighted the potential of blockchain technology to enhance supply-chain traceability and artificial intelligence to analyse business data and support informed decision-making.
The National Cooperative Societies Development Policy was launched by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in July, describing cooperatives as a key pillar of the Zimbabwean economy and an important driver of the national vision to become an uppr middle income society by 2030.
“As our financial capacity strengthens, we must simultaneously drive a digital revolution across the entire movement. By integrating financial technologies, digitized record-keeping systems, e-commerce platforms for global marketing, blockchain for supply chain traceability, and artificial intelligence for business analytics, we ensure that our cooperatives are not left behind in an increasingly digital global economy. These technological tools and financial resources must ultimately serve our core mandate, which is traceable production, value addition, and trade,” Mutsvangwa said.
She said equipping cooperatives with processing machinery, technical expertise and appropriate trade infrastructure would enable them to add value to their products, reduce reliance on imports and create decent employment opportunities, adding such support would also allow cooperatives to secure a greater share of value in both domestic and international markets.
Mutsvangwa described the workshop as a significant milestone for the cooperative sector, marking the next stage in the implementation of the revised policy and the execution of its roadmap.
“Unpacking this policy is not merely an academic exercise, but a vital operational imperative. If our cooperatives are to become modern, competitive, and sustainable enterprises, every leader, manager, and cooperator must thoroughly understand the principles, requirements, and opportunities embedded within this new framework,” she said.
She said the revised policy was designed to contribute to the attainment of Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an empowered upper-middle-income society, while also supporting the objectives of the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS-2).
“While the 2005 policy served its purpose in its era, today’s local and global economic landscapes require a modern regulatory and development framework. Our primary objective is clear; to transform cooperatives from survivalist to structured, high-yield, and commercially viable economic powerhouses that leave a clear, traceable footprint in our national economic landscape,” she said.
The new policy also introduces defined standards for leadership competence, professional board administration, and accountability within the cooperative movement, she said.
“Auditing and accountability are no longer optional, but non-negotiable standards supported by automated systems to ensure complete transparency, because trust is the true currency of the cooperative movement and once lost, it is nearly impossible to regain,” Mutsvangwa said.
New Ziana
