The Ministry of Industries and International Businesses (MIIB) is calling on Lakaz Cooperative to be more efficient in its dealings, so as to render the entity more productive and overcome challenges in the craft sector.

Following an assessment made on the performance of Lakaz Cooperative, the Victoria-based cooperative responsible for the sales of handicrafts produced by local artisans, the ministry last week called a meeting with members of the executive committee and other members to discuss about the issues affecting its operations.

Lakaz Cooperative is located on Independence Avenue, close to Barclays Bank and re-opened recently after it underwent renovation.

The meeting, which was chaired by MIIB principal secretary Joseph Nourrice, took place at the International Conference Centre, before some 20 members of Lakaz who turned up. Present were also other officials from the ministry and a representative from the Ministry of Finance.

Speaking to Business Nation, PS Nourrice pointed out that the ministry had completed the revision of the craft policy which would guide the future development of the craft sector in the country, but in order to fully implement the policy it needed a stronger craft body and a more dynamic and productive cooperative to further boost the development of craft in the country.

"The government sees great potential in the development of craft and we are prepared to give the craft sector all the support possible, but we can do that only if the artisans are well organised," PS Nourrice said.

Through the assessment carried out, he said, the ministry had tried to identify the problems affecting the craft sector resulting in poor quality of products, low turn out in production and volume of sales and subsequently low revenues.

"We have made profound analysis and discovered that Lakaz's performance has over the years been very poor and if it continues making loss or minimal profits, the cooperative will sink," PS Nourrice stated.

Lakaz, he said, has over the years been plagued by problems arising from weak management and mis-administration and as a result has lost its members' confidence.

The ministry, he said, has adopted a critical attitude towards the cooperative not because it wanted it to bear all the blame, but out of conviction that with a good shake-up, the cooperative would once again stand on its two feet.

One of the main issues discussed at the meeting was the legal implications pertaining to the change of name from Lakaz Cooperative to Co-operative des Artisans, which according to the ministry had not gone through the normal legal procedures.

Lakaz Cooperative had recently elected a new chairperson, Mrs Mariette McKelvy, a new executive committee and had changed its name to Co-operative des Artisans.

With regard to this situation, PS Nourrice said members of the cooperative needed to be more well versed with legal matters and educated on ways to operate a legal entity, given that Lakaz Cooperative was created under an Act.

Among the issues Mr Nourrice said needed to be addressed regarded the arrears of payment for members who had over the years been bringing their products to be sold at Lakaz and the debts which it owed to several other service providers.

He commended the executive committee for efforts being made to settle Lakaz's debts and called upon it to organise meetings more frequently with its members to earn back their trust and confidence. The executive committee, he said, needed to be more business-minded, ensure that it has the backing of all its members in decisions taken, to adopt a proper pricing policy, establish sales target, research the quality of products, and at the end of the day bring more credibility to the cooperative.

Lakaz Cooperative has agreed to work on a concrete strategic plan which it would present to the ministry before the end of the year. 

LINKS