By Chiluba Chabi
Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise Development has called on Cooperatives in Chingola to be innovative and have a mindset shift.
The Ministry through Cooperative College urged cooperative members to desist from a dependence syndrome of waiting on fertilizer alone but to broaden they thinking and think outside the box.
Speaking in Chingola during two days Entrepreneurship Training Mweembe Siyamunjomba a Trainer at Cooperative College in Lusaka implored Cooperatives to move with a growth mindset and not limit themselves to what they can do.
Ms Siyamunjomba said Cooperatives should come together to embrace and uplift one another by putting resources together and expanding they business with innovation.
She said whatever Cooperatives are doing it should always have a benefits at the end of the day.
Ms Siyamujomba said individuals’ effort matters in a Cooperative, no one should wait on the other person but they should all participate in the growth of the cooperative.
She called on Cooperatives to be persistent and be solution providers by exploring opportunities and what they can do.
“Cooperatives which explore have a lot of opportunities and can improve and develop through learning and gaining information,” she said.
Copperbelt Provincial Senior Cooperative and entrepreneurship Officer Denny Maluti taught Cooperatives on entrepreneurship, Marketing and how to write a business plan. During the training sessions he encouraged participants to go out in their Communities and help change the mindset at the same time expand their business activities. He noted some of the incentives Government has put in place such as loans under CDF, CEEC and the Ministry of Youth Sports and Arts.
And Chingola District Commissioner Raphael Chimupi who closed the Training and issued certificates to Participates said that Government is creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurs to thrive.
Mr Chimupi said a number of programs are being implementing to ensure that cooperatives are well vested with Knowledge and information that will take them forward.
“No one is born an entrepreneur but we all just learn and become. Hence ensure that whatever you have learnt today is put into practice because knowledge is power go out they and see how you can bring development to your communities,” he said.
The DC urged cooperatives not to relent no matter what as they have the potential to create employment and alleviate poverty in the community.
