ALIN holds a financial management training for Laikipia Cooperative

By Bob Aston

The Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) held a two days financial management training for the management and supervisory committee of Laikipia Produce and Marketing Co-operative Society on June 17-18, 2015 at Ng’arua Maarifa Centre in Ol-Moran Ward, Laikipia West Sub County. The training was intended to help the cooperative to come up with financial and procurement policies.

Mrs. Roseline Ngusa during the training

Speaking during the training, Ms. Roseline Ngusa, ALIN Finance and Administrative Manager said that the organization is keen in helping the cooperative enhance and develop controls that can strengthen and enable it to grow.

“We had realized capacity gaps in-terms of financial management and we decided to address this through the capacity building training. As ALIN we are keen in the success of the cooperative as they have a huge potential,” said Ms. Ngusa.

She noted that good business and business models can fail if consideration is not given to financial management as inefficiencies can be amplified over time, rather than addressed at the outset.

ALIN has been offering various capacity building trainings to the cooperative members since its formation in 2013. This has enabled the cooperative to be among the leading cereal cooperatives in Laikipia West Sub County.

“Financial management is an essential tool that will help the cooperative to grow. I am happy with the controls that they have set up. This is an indication that the cooperative management is determined to ensure that the cooperative costs are maintained at the lowest point,” said Ms. Ngusa.

Cooperative officer during the training

She said that the cooperative will now be able to provide financial planning information for the members as well as the various partners that they are working with. The financial management training is expected to help the cooperative management to know how the cooperative is doing financially and this will help them to make decisions to improve their operations.

“We have equipped the management with financial skills that will enable them to operate successfully. We expect that they will now be able to make their operations more profitable and efficient,” said Ms. Ngusa.

The cooperative management was trained on areas that included: governance; book keeping and book of accounts; stores management and procurement; marketing management; financial and cost benefit analysis; financial reporting; variance analysis and control systems; and planning and budgeting.

The Laikipia Produce and Marketing cooperative society emerged from the work undertaken by ALIN through Ng’arua Maarifa Centre with the support of the Ford Foundation’s Expanding Livelihoods for Poor Households Initiative (ELOPHI). It is a vehicle for bulking, marketing and trading in farm commodities and other products and services.