Improving Institutional Capacity:
Strengthening Farmer Organizations in the OIC Member Countries
86
Annex. 1.1 Individual country results from cross-country desk research
1. Does the country have a co-operative law that gives legal standing to farmer
organizations?
Group Country Y/N Source Comments
African Countries
Cameroon 
This law was passed in November 1992. The law
regulates the conditions required for the creation and
organization of FOs and cooperatives. The law also
emphasizes transparency and accessibility as important
conditions for successful governance of FOs.
Guinea-Bissau

The first cooperative law in all former French
dependencies was the French cooperative law of 1947,
followed by a special cooperative legislation for state-
sponsored cooperatives introduced in 1955. No relevant
law has been implemented since independence.
Benin

This law was originally passed in 1961 and emphasized
the role of FOs and cooperatives as structures of political
organization in Benin. The emphasis has since been less
on political organization and more on economic
productivity.
Burkina Faso 
Law 014/99 was passed in 1999. This law regulates all
rural producer organizations including FOs. The law
also emphasizes that FOs must be organized by crops
produced and by fields of activity.
Mali
 ull text of the
law
The Law on Agricultural Orientation regulates all
aspects of agricultural development in Mali. Articles 4
and 30 list cooperatives and FOs as stakeholders in
agricultural development that are concerned by this
law.
Chad
 International Labour
Organization
The law in question is Decree 318/PR-MTJS-DTMOPS
that was passed on the 7th of November 1969. The law
regulates agricultural enterprises and is applicable to
agricultural cooperatives. The law also regulates
farmers' work hours as well as the exploitation of forests
and of cattle.
Cote d'Ivoire  Ivoria f
Agriculture
Law N 97-721 passed in 12/23/1997. This law
addressed the following gaps in previous laws: (i)
Decentralization of administrative procedures that
farmers must go through in order to create an FO, (ii)
Requirements that administrators of FOs be
professionals in the organization's field of activity, and
(iii) exemption of FOs from taxes.
Senegal  f the
Republic of Senegal, 2010 -
Gabon 
2009
Law 028/2008 passed in December 2008 and focuses on
sustainable agricultural development and on the
development of rural areas. Article 13 states that the
Government commits to providing a stipend for farmers
who hope to enrol in training programs that would
improve their productivity. In addition, Article 14 states
that the Government commits to providing a stipend for
farmers who utilize environmentally sustainable
production methods. This law further regulates the
governance and structure of organizations and
associations formed by agricultural producers.
Gambia  NATLEX, using the
advanced search function -
Guinea 
This law was passed in 2005 and regulates all economic
organizations that are cooperative in nature. These also
non-profit associations and agricultural cooperatives.
Sierra Leone

Co-operative Societies Act 1977