PHOTO: (L-R) Prof. Wilson Tarpeh, EPA boss and Regina Sokan Teah, CDC Registra
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency has vowed to elevate the discussion on the need to re-establish the defunct Agriculture and Cooperative Development Bank in Liberia.
Professor Wilson Tarpeh said the bank is needed to enable cooperatives and farmers to have access to loans in order to invest in the soil.
Professor Tarpeh made the promise over the weekend, when he delivered the keynote speech marking the observance of the 100th International Cooperative Day organized by the Cooperative Development Agency in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization in Gbarnga, Bong County during the weekend.
Prior to the Liberian civil was in 1990, Liberia had a thriving Agriculture Cooperative Development Bank (ACDB), which give loans to farmers and contributed immensely to the development of the country’s agricultural sector.
“For some of us” he said, “you can bring one hundred billion United States Dollars into agriculture in this country, as long as you don’t put these three things in place , the bank, the CDA and the cooperative , nothing will happen here,” said Prof. Tarpeh who once served as President of the ACDB before the 14 years of civil war,
According to him, this is a conversation the President is now considering and assured the 700,000 farmers that the government will do something in this direction.
“Those days, he went on, “if the cooperative societies generate 10,000 million United States Dollars, then that means that particular year was not good.”
He explained that certain time in this country, the government borrowed from the cooperative societies to pay public sector employees with 20 percent interest.
CDA cooperative day celebration parade
In remarks, the Registrar General of the Cooperative Development Agency, Regina Sokan Teah, stressed the need for the Liberian government and its international partners to allot five million United States Dollars purposely to enable small holder farmers to have access to loan.
According to her, there are about 750 duly registered cooperative societies across the 15 sub political divisions totaling 52,500 members throughout the country.
She explained that the CDA is also working along with over 250 susu and saving clubs commonly known as the credit union cooperatives purposely to ensure financial security and financial inclusion for the un-bank population and rural communities.
The CDA Registrar General pointed out that the agency is also working with the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the German Technical Cooperation in organizing 750 artisanal cooperatives in nine counties.
According to her, the process has facilitated the realization of 225,000 United States Dollars through the payment of mining licenses and survey fees.
“In the fishery sector,” she explained,” the CDA is working with the National Fishery and Aquaculture Agency which facilitated the establishment of 40 fishing cooperatives in nine coastal counties
In the renewable energy sector, Madam Sokan-Teah disclosed that the CDA is working closely with the Rural Renewable Energy Agency realizing the formation of the Totota Electricity Cooperative proving electricity to over 1,700 inhabitants in the Totota Communities
The celebration, under the theme: “Cooperative Build a Better World,” brought representatives of cooperative societies from all over the country.