The African Confederation of Cooperative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA) continues to strengthen Africa’s cooperative movement through its flagship Africa Development Educators (ADE) program, a capacity-building initiative designed to equip cooperative leaders with practical tools for inclusive and sustainable development.
In January 2026, close to 60 cooperative leaders drawn from 12 countries across Africa, Europe, and the United States graduated from the 27th ADE Class in Kilifi, Kenya, marking another milestone in the program’s long-running contribution to institutional strengthening within the cooperative sector.
The graduates represent a diverse cross-section of savings and credit cooperative organisations (SACCOs), cooperative federations, regulators, trainers, and development practitioners. Over the course of the intensive program, participants deepened their understanding of cooperative governance, strategic leadership, financial sustainability, and member-centered service delivery.
A key focus of the ADE curriculum is the SACCO Business Model and its role in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through practical case studies and peer learning, participants explored how cooperatives can address critical development challenges, including financial inclusion, decent work, poverty reduction, gender equality, climate resilience, and community-based economic growth.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony, ADE Director George Ombado urged the graduates to go beyond theory and translate their learning into measurable impact within their institutions and communities.
“This program is not about certificates, it is about action,” Ombado said. “The true value of ADE lies in how you apply this knowledge to strengthen governance, improve performance, and deliver real value to members while contributing to sustainable development.”
Established by ACCOSCA, the ADE program has, over the years, built a growing network of cooperative leaders who share a common vision of people-centered development anchored in cooperative values and principles. Alumni of the program are active across Africa and beyond, supporting SACCO reforms, mentoring emerging leaders, shaping policy dialogue, and strengthening cooperative education systems.
The Kilifi graduation comes at a time when cooperatives are increasingly recognized as critical drivers of inclusive growth, particularly in developing economies. SACCOs play a vital role in mobilizing local savings, providing affordable credit, supporting small enterprises, and cushioning communities against economic shocks. Strengthening leadership capacity within these institutions is therefore essential to ensuring their resilience and long-term impact.
Participants described the ADE experience as both transformative and practical, citing exposure to global best practices, cross-cultural exchange, and hands-on tools that can be immediately applied in their home institutions. The multinational composition of the cohort also reinforced the global relevance of the cooperative model and the shared challenges faced by member-owned financial institutions worldwide.
As ACCOSCA continues to roll out future ADE cohorts, the organization is positioning the program as a strategic platform for nurturing ethical, competent, and development-oriented cooperative leaders. By investing in people, the ADE program reinforces the cooperative philosophy that sustainable development is achieved not through profit alone, but through collective action, strong institutions, and empowered members.
With each graduating class, ACCOSCA is steadily reshaping Africa’s development landscape — one cooperative leader, and one community, at a time.
