MOCOL alumni ventures into agribusiness
Joseph Balise | Monday August 28, 2023 06:00
Led by former permanent secretary Dr Howard Sigwele, the alumni has formed the Moeng College Alumni Agricultural Cooperative Society, with specific aim of venturing into horticultural business.
The cooperative society has already leased almost 20 hectares of land. Some portion of the land (about two hectares) has been worked on and plots prepared. Garlic has been planted and the society is in the process of planting ginger. In an interview, Dr Sigwele explained that the formation of the society was a culmination of intense consultation among the Moeng College alumni community that had initially been brought together by concerns over the rapid decline of Moeng College's academic performance.
After having dealt with issues concerning the academic performance, the alumni opened up another WhatsApp group to discuss agriculture and agribusiness related issues. According to Dr Sigwele, it is within this group that the idea of the formation of the cooperative society was born and ultimately shared, resulting in the registration of the society in April last year.
Dr Sigwele further explains that a feasibility study was undertaken, fully paid for by the membership and 'after approval of the bye-laws, the cooperative was registered in principle subject to acquisition of land, a major requirement' and registration precondition. Dr Sigwele also says the formation of the cooperative society was also born out of the fact that Botswana still heavily depends on agricultural imports, 'yet there is great potential in the country, experience and skills among, for instance, alumni members as well as others in the country'.
The latest agricultural import bills stands at around P13 billion. Dr Sigwele buttresses the fact that after realising the great potential in agriculture based on the increasing import bill and the huge human capital, it became clear that agribusiness was the way to go. The chairperson also said the Department of Cooperative Development provided advice and suggestions on how the cooperative society should be formed. The department further assisted with the preparation of the bye-laws, which were circulated to members for input. Dr Sigwele said membership fees and capital contribution formed part of the bye-laws, which were subsequently approved by members.
The membership joining fee has been set at P100 with an additional P10 000 capital contribution, which qualifies one to be a full member with voting, rights. The membership to the cooperative society, though formed by the Moeng College alumni, is not confined to the alumni community only. Any other interested person or party that wants to join the society is free to do so and already the cooperative boasts of a number of non-Moeng students who have come on board and the society is appealing for more members to join if they so wish.
To become a member, one has to be a citizen of Botswana, pay the P100 joining fee as well as the P10,000 capital contribution, and one is not a full member until they have fully paid up the capital contribution. The P10,000 according to Dr Sigwele is included in the membership fee 'in order to capitalise the cooperative when it raises finance from banks and other financing institutions as a deposit or security'. 'In order to mobilize resources for sustainable growth, the cooperative as of now is not strictly for Moeng College alumni members because it already has members in good standing who are not former college students', said Dr Sigwele. In order to source technical expertise, the society has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN).
The agricultural university is a very important stakeholder in knowledge, expertise and research in horticulture. The cooperative society is also engaging stakeholders like buyers of fresh vegetables about quality requirements and others. As naturally linked to Moeng College, the society has already contacted the college teachers and students to visit the Serowe project to get a feel of how it is progressing and even benchmark from it once it is in full production. Dr Sigwele is also satisfied that the Ministry of Agriculture is aware of the project and shown keen interest to assist through its Serowe office, especially the horticultural staff.
As to where the cooperative society is envisioned to be in the next five years, Dr Sigwele expects the cooperative 'to have grown with its market for vegetables and fruits consumed in Serowe and beyond its surroundings'. He says the society has a plan to be engaged in farm input supply especially seeds and fertilisers. 'We expect the cooperative to be engaged in good brand for quality fresh farm produce and also used to upgrade members with technical and marketing skills in horticulture with the support of BUAN', said Dr Sigwele in conclusion.