GASABO: Members of KOABIGA cooperative sign performance contracts that will help them achieve their goals

On Thursday, June 17, 2021, members of the KOABIGA Farmers’ Cooperative convened for various reasons, including the appointment of new leaders in various categories and the signing of performance contracts with the view of advancing the welfare of its members and to reform their farming practices.

Though it is a cooperative that started small but continues to grow and expand its operations, the leaders of the cooperative find that it is necessary for all its 980 members to sign these pledges so that everyone should play his/her role in achieving the mission of the cooperative as explained by Emmanuel Ndagijimana, the president of KOABIGA.

“You know we work in Kigali but we no longer want to grow cabbage weighing one or two kilograms. Why can’t we change it and then grow a five or ten kilograms cabbage? We usually grow green beans and other vegetables but now we are also thinking about how we will sell our produce to the international market without going through other companies that come to buy and sell it.” says Ndagijimana

He also continued saying that: “So to achieve this, each member knows what he or she is required to do as per the pledges we signed today, which will also be the basis for assessing our progress towards the vision we have set for ourselves.”

The signing ceremony took place in the presence of the Executive Secretary of Kinyinya Sector, Mr. Nduwayezu Alfred, who revealed that the activities of this cooperative are not only beneficial to its members but also to the residents of city of Kigali in general.

He said:” Agriculture plays a big role in our sector. We have a large area of wetlands in our sector where agricultural activities are not only beneficial to the residents of this sector but also those in the neighboring sectors like Kimironko, Nduba, Kacyiru, Remera, in fact the whole city of Kigali. So that’s why we have to take care of these farmers and help them on a daily basis because once farmers in Kinyinya cultivate, the whole city gets food”

Apart from the pledges to reform the functioning of the cooperative and increase of agricultural productivity, other pledges signed include the fact that each member registers in EJO HEZA fund in order to save and secure their old ages.

Currently KOABIGA cooperative operates in different sectors of Gasabo district namely Kinyinya, Gisozi, Kimironko and a small part of Kacyiru sector.