Since 2010, Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union (JCCU) in collaboration with International Labour Organization (ILO), the Co-operative Unit (ILO COOP), and ILO Office in Japan (ILO Tokyo), has been organizing study tours to Japan for African co-operative leaders with the aim to assist the human resource development of co-operatives in Africa.

As the participants of the previous study tours were mostly from the Anglophone countries, this time consideration was given to co-operatives of Francophone countries, hence three cooperative leaders from Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Tunisia visited Japan. The study period was 10 days, from October 15-24, 2018. Participants visited various Japanese Co-operatives including consumers’, insurance, financial, agricultural, health and worker co-operatives, Kagawa Archives & Resource Center among others.

On October 23, to wrap-up the study tour, a public seminar was held at CO-OP PLAZA (JCCU headquarters in Tokyo) which brought together 50 participants.

The 3 co-operative leaders gave brief introduction of their respective co-operatives and lessons learnt from the study tour and how the experience got could be applied to the improvement of development projects and organizational management after returning home. One of the participants said “The study tour of various cooperatives was a precious experience to me. I hope to contribute to the development of cooperatives in my country through the experiences that I have learned through this visit ".

The participants were:

Mr. Radhouan CHOUIHI (Tunisia), President of the governing body, Mutual Society of Agricultural Services (SMSA) el Rommena (pomegranate)

Mr. Kobenan Maurice KOFFI (Ivory Coast), Technical Assistant of Director General, Federation of Cooperative Societies of the Producers of the Cotton Sector of Côte d'Ivoire (FPC-CI)

Mr. Joseph Alain YEBGA BINGAN (Cameroon), President of the governing body, Local Network of Social and Solidarity Economy (RELESS) of Matomb.