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Voinjama, Lofa County – In a major step toward advancing women’s empowerment and economic inclusion in Liberia, the Cooperative Development Agency (CDA) has embarked on a nationwide effort to establish the National Women’s Cooperative Alliance of Liberia. The initiative was recently launched in Lofa County with the certification of several women-led cooperatives. The colorful and well-attended ceremony, held in the city of Voinjama, brought together representatives from government institutions, international development partners, local authorities, and hundreds of women cooperative members from across the county.
According to the CDA, the establishment of county chapters of the National Women’s Cooperative Alliance of Liberia, which kicked off in Saclapea, Nimba County, is expected to spread across the 15 counties of Liberia and will culminate in a conference where a national leadership will be elected for the alliance.
The establishment of the National Women’s Cooperative Alliance marks a historic milestone in the effort to unify women engaged in various cooperative enterprises, ranging from agriculture and agribusiness to handicrafts and value-added production, under one umbrella organization. The Alliance aims to amplify women’s voices, strengthen coordination among women-led cooperatives, and create a national platform to advocate for greater access to finance, training, and markets.
In Lofa County, Hon. Lwopu G. Kandakai, Registrar General of the Cooperative Development Agency (CDA), called on the newly certified women-led cooperatives to remain vibrant, transparent, and result-oriented over the next six months. She emphasized that this period would serve as a critical test phase to assess the cooperatives’ operational strength, level of participation, and commitment to sustainable business practices.
According to Hon. Kandakai, the CDA will conduct regular monitoring and evaluation exercises during this time to track each cooperative’s progress, governance, and financial accountability. She explained that the Agency’s goal is not only to register cooperatives but also to ensure that they remain functional, self-reliant, and impactful in improving members’ livelihoods and contributing to community development.
“These six months are an opportunity for each cooperative to demonstrate that they can stand on their own—govern effectively, manage resources wisely, and operate transparently,” she stated. “CDA’s support will be sustained only for those cooperatives that show commitment, innovation, and progress toward empowerment and growth.”
Hon. Kandakai further underscored that these expectations are directly linked to the government’s ARREST Agenda, which focuses on Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism, a national framework that seeks to drive economic transformation through inclusive and sustainable development. Within this framework, she said, the ‘Agriculture’ and ‘Rural Development’ components place cooperatives at the heart of efforts to stimulate local economies, enhance food security, and create job opportunities, particularly for women and youth.
She urged cooperative leaders to maintain proper records, hold regular meetings, and ensure full participation of their members to strengthen accountability and trust. “A cooperative that is not active, that fails to engage its members or deliver on its objectives, cannot expect to receive continued support,” she cautioned.
Hon. Kandakai reaffirmed the CDA’s commitment to providing technical guidance, business development support, and capacity-building programs to ensure the cooperatives thrive. However, she was clear that the CDA’s assistance would be conditional upon performance and adherence to cooperative principles.
During the event, members of the WENLA Women Cooperative, a group specializing in honey production, took center stage to demonstrate their work and share their journey of growth. The cooperative, which brings together women beekeepers from several communities in Lofa County, presented samples of their locally produced honey and detailed the various stages of production, from hive management and harvesting to packaging and marketing.
The women proudly highlighted how their cooperative has helped them generate income, support their families, and gain financial independence. However, they also outlined the challenges they face during the harvest season, including the lack of protective gear, which often exposes them to bee stings and limits productivity. However, a representative from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), pledged immediate assistance by committing to provide protective harvesting suits and related safety equipment.
Following the WENLA presentation, a representative from the Quardou Bondi Cooperative shared inspiring success stories that illustrated how cooperative farming has transformed their community. The cooperative, which focuses primarily on coffee production, has benefited significantly from technical and financial support provided through joint initiatives of the CDA, IFAD, and the Ministry of Agriculture. Members have received training in modern coffee cultivation techniques, quality enhancement, and post-harvest handling, interventions that have not only increased yields but also improved the market value of their produce.
The representative emphasized that the cooperative’s progress reflects how well-structured partnerships can empower rural farmers to move from subsistence to commercial agriculture. “Through CDA’s support and IFAD’s training, our coffee farms are more productive, our quality is better, and our income has improved,” the Quardou Bondi Cooperative leader indicated.
Meanwhile, to ensure effective coordination, accountability, and continuity of operations, an interim management team was constituted to oversee the initial activities of the National Women’s Cooperative Alliance of Liberia Lofa County chapter. The interim team will serve as the central body responsible for guiding the Alliance’s organizational structure, setting up administrative systems, and coordinating the work of women-led cooperatives across the country until formal elections are held.
The team’s mandate includes developing a strategic operational plan, facilitating capacity-building workshops for cooperative leaders, and establishing a communication framework to link county-level women’s cooperatives with the national leadership. It is tasked with identifying key priority areas, such as access to finance, market linkages, training in cooperative management, and advocacy for policies that benefit women entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers.
As part of the leadership structure, Hon. Pandora C. W. Zayzay, Mayoress of Voinjama City was appointed Advisor to the Alliance. Her appointment was widely welcomed by cooperative members, who view her as a strong advocate for women’s empowerment and rural development. Hon. Zayzay brings a wealth of leadership experience and local governance expertise to the role, and she pledged to work closely with the CDA and other stakeholders to ensure that the Alliance delivers tangible results for women at the grassroots level.
Speaking at the close of the event, Hon. Zayzay expressed gratitude to the CDA and its partners for their confidence in her leadership, noting that the Alliance represents “a unifying platform through which women’s collective strength can drive meaningful economic and social transformation.” She encouraged the interim team to operate with transparency, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose. “This Alliance must not only be about structure,” she said, “but about empowering women to become decision-makers, innovators, and leaders in their communities.”
The establishment of the National Women’s Cooperative Alliance of Liberia marks a historic milestone in the country’s ongoing pursuit of gender equality, economic inclusion, and rural transformation. It demonstrates the governments and its partners’ recognition that women are key agents of change, particularly in the agricultural sector, which remains Liberia’s largest employer and a critical pillar of national development.
Through sustained collaboration between the Cooperative Development Agency (CDA), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Ministry of Agriculture, and other development partners, the Alliance is expected to play a central role in advancing women’s participation in agricultural value chains, strengthening cooperative governance, and enhancing access to resources and markets.
The initiative also aligns with Liberia’s broader development goals under the ARREST Agenda, particularly its focus on Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as international frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably Goal 5 on Gender Equality and Goal 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth.
As Liberia continues to strengthen its cooperative movement, the creation of the National Women’s Cooperative Alliance stands as both a symbol of progress and a practical way to build a more inclusive, resilient, and equitable economy, one where women are not only participants but also leaders and innovators shaping the country’s future.
