The government has launched a major reform process aimed at modernising Ghana’s cooperative sector through the development of a new National Policy on Cooperatives and legislation to replace the Cooperative Societies Decree of 1968.
The initiative was announced by the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr. Abdul Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, at the inception meeting of the Technical Working Group (TWG) on National Cooperative Sector Reform in Accra.
Dr. Pelpuo described the exercise as a nationally significant undertaking that will shape the future of cooperative development in the country.
According to the Department of Cooperatives’ 2025 Statistical Report, Ghana currently has 29,612 registered cooperative societies, of which 23,701 are active.
The sector supports more than 2.4 million members, employs 26,945 people directly and has mobilised a cumulative capital base of GH¢587.9 million. In 2025 alone, 1,964 new cooperatives were registered, while 131,979 new members joined the movement.
Despite these achievements, Dr. Pelpuo highlighted persistent governance challenges within the sector. He noted that only 449 active cooperatives held Annual General Meetings in 2025, representing a compliance rate of just 1.9 per cent.
“This is not a routine meeting. It is the beginning of a structured, time-bound and nationally significant process, one that will define the trajectory of cooperative sector development in Ghana for the next generation,” the Minister stated, quoted by the Public Affairs Unit of the sector.
The Technical Working Group, which comprises representatives from government, the Ghana Cooperative Council, the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat, development partners, financial institutions, academia, civil society and the private sector, has been tasked with preparing a draft national policy and legal framework for the sector.
