Thirty-Eight students here have graduated from the first Strathmore-WOCCU African Management Institute (SWAMI). The graduates hail from four countries: Kenya, Seychelles, Uganda, and South Africa.
The program is split into two groups of student tracks: the more intensive SACCO Certified Manager Program for management students and the SACCO Board Leadership Program for board members. Each track has three tiers, held in separate sessions and focusing on different topics and skills. For the first time since the inception of the institute in 2004, the tiers are now running concurrently, allowing students in tiers one and two to witness the graduation of students from tier three, WOCCU said.
SWAMI was developed by WOCCU and Strathmore University of Nairobi to prepare senior SACCO management staff, aspiring managers and board members to handle the challenges SACCOs face. WOCCU credited the involvement of the Louisiana league in the planning, implementation and supervision of the program as being critical to its success.
Key program funding comes from the United States Agency for International Development's Cooperative Development Program, CUNA Mutual Group Foundation, and the Canadian Co-operative Association.
