Project profile — The Cooperative Model: Building Inclusive and Sustainable Communities

• Côte d'Ivoire (42.70%)
• Senegal (32.80%)
• Ghana (24.50%)

• Other Social Infrastructure And Services: Low-cost housing (16040) (8.00%)
• Business And Other Services: Business support services and institutions (25010) (30.00%)
• Agriculture: Agricultural co-operatives (31194) (62.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (principal objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (principal objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (significant objective)
• Climate Change Adaptation (significant objective)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)
• Nutrition (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)

The project supports inclusive and green growth in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Ghana by strengthening co operatives, with particular focus on vulnerable populations and women. It supports the implementation of five model co-operatives in the housing and agri-food sectors. By the end of the project, the five entrepreneurial model co-operatives are expected to continue growing autonomously and reach even more households in their respective economic sectors. The project aims to build the skills and capacities of men and women, foster climate-smart economic activities, and facilitate access to funding for co-operatives. The project will therefore increase social and economic opportunities for women by enhancing their economic power. Women leaders play a key role in the project. Project activities include 1) training and capacity building for participants (co-operative members, co operative leaders, elected officials and managers); 2) acquiring and installing community infrastructure, technology and facilities to meet environmental challenges arising from climate change; 3) activities that are specifically aimed at women, including leadership training and mentoring for women; 4) developing a training program for elected officials and co operative leader members on the importance of women’s active participation in decision-making bodies.

The expected results for this projects include 1) improved women’s participation in decision-making in households and co operatives, particularly with respect to economic activities and environmental considerations; 2) improved performance of co operatives in delivering products and services that meet the needs of women and men in member households, in light of climactic and environmental realities; 3) strengthened national and local support structures for co operatives in the targeted countries and economic sectors.

Results achieved as of March 2023 include: (1) increased participation of women on the boards of directors of the supported cooperatives, reaching parity or the parity zone in four out of five cooperatives; (2) trained 2,802 women and 1,814 men on various topics, including equal participation in managing family economic activities, leadership and management, agri-environment and climate change. These trainings aim to transform the dynamics within households and cooperatives by bringing women to participate in economic and institutional decisions. This seeks to meet the population's needs in a more egalitarian way; (3) implemented new products and services for the members of the cooperatives, which take into account the environment and the fight against or adaptation to climate change. For example, improved stoves that reuse waste from rice processing to heat water and more efficient boilers in Ghana; (4) five strategic development plans integrating the fight against and adaptation to climate change and gender equality aspects implemented by the five cooperatives; and (5) raised awareness of gender-based violence among nearly 1.1 million people in Ghana, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire.

• Proactive disclosure