The Registrar General of the Cooperative Development Agency (CDA), Regina Sokan-Teah, said the lack of financial support is impeding the working activities of the entity.
According to the CDA boss, for the work to be effective across the fifteen counties there is a need for more support from the government.
She is calling on President George Weah to issues a policy statement that will encourage citizens to get involved into agricultural activities.
She noted that due to the massive awareness across the country by the CDA field staff, the CDA management was successful in the transformation of 43 farmers-based associations into cooperative societies upon their request, with a total membership of 1,780 in five (5) counties: Bong County, Nimba County, Lofa County, Margibi County and Maryland county.
Additionally, she stated that the CDA was successful in the settlement of a dispute among members of the Gbarnway, Woega Electric Cooperative, Gbarnway Town, Salayea District, Lofa County. A membership of 86, the cooperative provides electricity through solar light for residents of Gbarnway.
She mentioned that CDA supervised the leadership election of one of the oldest cooperatives in Nimba County, Dokodan farmers Cooperative, which brought a new breed of directors to conduct the cooperative affairs.
The CDA boss narrated that, as per statutory mandate to audit cooperatives once every year, the CDA has successfully conducted nine (9) cooperative audits, both financial and agricultural. She underscored that the CDA has created 144 Jobs with an annual salary of US$216,283.15, with the total asset value of US$3,444,235.36.
She mentioned that the sector is non-political; as such, politicians should not politicized the workings of the sector.
The Registrar General maintained that the cooperative Development Agency (CDA) is the agency responsible to regulate and supervise the formation of cooperatives throughout the Republic of Liberia since it was established in 1936.
