By Meshack M. Ngangi | May 7, 2025
The Co-operative University of Kenya (CUK) had the esteemed honour of hosting a distinguished delegation from the Federal Republic of Nigeria for a comprehensive three-day benchmarking visit. This high-level mission, held under the auspices of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Kamau Ngamau, focused on critical areas of co-operative development, management, financing, and capacity building. The visit signifies a deepening of regional collaboration in the cooperative sector and reflects the increasing continental recognition of the University’s leadership in cooperative education and practice.
The Nigerian delegation was led by Dr. Ibrahim Awwal and comprised senior officials drawn from the country’s cooperative institutions and policymaking bodies. Accompanying them were top-ranking representatives from Nigeria’s State Department of Cooperatives. Their visit was a strategic undertaking aimed at engaging with Kenya’s well-established cooperative framework, and in particular, learning from the experiences and institutional strengths of CUK—the country’s foremost centre for cooperative education, research, and consultancy.
The consultative engagements held at the university highlighted deliberate and strategic efforts to promote knowledge-sharing and the exchange of best practices within Africa’s cooperative sector. The discussions focused on Kenya’s longstanding tradition and success in applying the cooperative business model as a powerful tool for rural development, social transformation, and economic empowerment. The Nigerian delegation expressed keen interest in how Kenya has institutionalized cooperative training and how such models might be adapted to enhance cooperative growth and sustainability in their home country.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Kamau Ngamau, reaffirmed the University’s commitment to fostering regional partnerships that strengthen the cooperative movement across the African continent. He emphasized the institution’s role not only as a centre of academic excellence but also as a catalyst for community-driven economic models that empower grassroots populations.
This benchmarking visit is a testament to CUK’s growing influence as a beacon of cooperative advancement in Africa. It reinforces the University’s mission to professionally inspire, mentor, and support the development of dynamic, inclusive, and resilient cooperative enterprises that are responsive to the socio-economic needs of African communities.
The visit by the Nigerian delegation is a notable milestone in regional cooperation and underscores the transformative potential of collaborative learning initiatives in the cooperative sector.
