At Africa Development Promise, we believe that strong cooperatives are the foundation of thriving rural economies. We work alongside women-led agricultural cooperatives to strengthen governance, improve business management, and increase profitability so they can become sustainable enterprises that create lasting economic opportunities for their members.

Together with cooperative members and leaders, we identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities for growth. We then develop tailored capacity-building plans that help cooperatives improve production practices, adopt new technologies, strengthen post-harvest handling and food processing, and access markets more directly.

Training is at the heart of our approach. We equip cooperative leaders and members with the knowledge and skills needed to manage successful organizations, including governance, leadership, strategic planning, financial management, and operational oversight. By strengthening both people and systems, we help cooperatives become more resilient, competitive, and responsive to their members' needs.

Governance & Leadership

In 2013, sixty-five women in Bugesera District, Rwanda, established an agricultural cooperative called Ingabo Ikingira Ubukene—“a shield that protects against poverty.” These women were among the most vulnerable in their community: 35% were widowed due to genocide, and most had limited formal education, which left them facing income loss and employment barriers. To protect each other from poverty, they first created a mattress savings group (Sasaneza or “clean bed ”) to help families purchase mattresses.

The success of that effort encouraged them to pool their resources and expand their farming of cabbage, eggplant, and green peppers in open fields. However, droughts and irregular rainfall destroyed much of their harvest. Between 2009 and 2018, Bugesera District experienced severe drought, increasing the community’s vulnerability to crop failure and food insecurity. Without irrigation, yields depended on luck, and incomes remained unstable. Families in the villages of Cyeru, Gitovu, and Nyarugati, totaling more than 1,500 households, also faced ongoing threats of waterborne illnesses due to the shortage of clean water.

Learn more about Ingabo Ikingira Ubukene