Coffee cooperative staff acquire IT skills

A group of over 30 employees from various coffee washing station cooperatives, Friday, completed a three-day workshop on how to employ Information Technology (IT) in their respective cooperatives. The participants, drawn from nine cooperatives, include executive managers and chief accountants. The seminar was organized by SNV, a Netherlands Development Organization, in collaboration with the National Agricultural Export Board (NAEB). “The main objective was to equip the trainees with basic knowledge and skills in IT so as to enable them increase their production and profits,” said François Sihimbiro, a senior advisor at SNV, who was also among the trainers. He added that SNV has also set up a computerised tool to improve coffee washing stations’ technical and financial management in the nine coffee washing station cooperatives. Emmanuel Habumukiza, who spoke on behalf of the trainees, said that the programme will help them prepare better monthly and annual financial reports for their cooperatives. “Our cooperatives have been incurring losses due to inadequate IT skills, knowledge and experience,” said Habumukiza. He added that the skills acquired from the training will improve their collaborations with credit institutions saying that this will enable them to easily get loans from banks. He called on SNV and NAEB to extend similar training to other coffee washing station cooperatives. Denise Mukashyaka, an accountant at Muyumbu coffee cooperative in Rwamagana District said: “We have been keeping our financial records in a manual way but I am optimistic that, with effect from now, we will no longer have this challenge because we will be keeping all the cooperative’s records in computers.” Participants came from Rutsiro, Nyaruguru, Nyanza, Rwamagana, Gakenke, Gicumbi, Rulindo, Rusizi, among other districts. Coffee is a major export crop for Rwanda Ends