Discussion on the contribution of cooperatives to poverty reduction in Africa has quite often been based on their potential role rather than the actual impact, partly due to the dearth of empirical studies since the early 1990s. This paper provides evidence on the contribution of cooperatives to...

Traces the historical path of cooperatives and trends since the 1990s. Gives examples from eleven countries in Africa of successful, genuine and economically viable cooperatives, and how they create economic opportunities and a basic level of social protection and security, and provide their...