The duty to promote the business of the

cooperative: members have a duty to

promote the affairs of the cooperative by not
engaging in direct competition with the
cooperative.

The duty to observe by-laws: membership

of a cooperative society shall be governed
by its by-laws and have the duty to observe
and protect the society’s by-law and MINISTRY OF COMMERCE,
constitution. TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Members’ liabilities DEPARTMENT OF COOPERATIVES

The liabilities of a member to the creditors of TYPES OF COOPERATIVES, RIGHTS,

the society shall be to the sum not exceeding LIABILITIES, DUTIES AND
the amount unpaid on the shares allocated
RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBERS
to him until the whole amount of his shares
has been paid up.
Know your Cooperative
Conclusion:

The by-laws of most co-operatives in Zambia

provide that anyone seeking membership Contact:
must pay in full for an entrance fee and for a
share when s/he applies. Consequently The Director
when a person has not made such a Department of Cooperatives,
payment he is not really a member and he Ministry of Commerce, Trade and
cannot exercise the rights reserved for Industry,
members. P.O Box 31968,
Government Complex, 10th Floor, Types of Co-operatives:
The rule of the voting rights of “one man one Lusaka.
vote” in cooperatives entails that members Tel: 260 211 252552 Co-operative can be classified either by
are equal and have the same voting rights Or sector/ industry on one hand or by the
regardless of the shares held in the society. The Registrar of Co-operatives activities the co-operative society is involved
The aim in a co-operative is to ensure Tel: 260 211 252552 in on the other hand. A co-operative which is
equality of all members and to limit or de- Or involved in only one type of business activity
emphasize the power of capital. Your local District Cooperative Office is called single purpose co-operative. For
(5) (6) (1)
example, carpentry co-operatives make and
sell wood products and related services. Its’
single purpose because it deals only in this
kind of business.
While one that has more than one type of
business activity is called multipurpose co-
operative for example; a consumer co-
operative may be trading in retail
merchandise and at the same time selling
products from its members on commission.
The following are examples of activities co-
operatives engage in.
Agricultural co-operatives; supply of
agricultural inputs and related services to
farmers. The inputs may include fertilizers,
seed equipment and pesticides.
Member’s Rights:
The members’ rights in the society are:
 The right to use the services of the co-
operative society
 The right to participate in the election of
office bearers
 The right to vote on major policies of the
society
 The right to stand for office as a board or
committee member
 The right to take part in discussions at
membership meetings, to constructively
criticize existing policies and to suggest
desirable changes.
The right to participate in the society’s
activities: Such as annual and special
meetings and use their power to vote.
transactions or contributions a member
makes to the co-operative society.
Members’ duties and responsibilities:
In the exercise of their rights, members are
in turn expected to perform certain duties
and responsibilities. These duties and
responsibilities also called obligations are:-
 To contribute share capital to the society
 To participate in the society’s activities
such as annual and special meetings and
use their power prejudices.
 To be loyal to their co-operative society
and to work to promote its business.
 To learn all they can about the affairs of
his/her society and has an open mind
about new ways of improving services.

Marketing co-operatives; market produce
on behalf of the members. The commodities
marketed may include maize, beans, poultry
products and dairy products
Housing co-operatives; are involved in the
extraction and sale of minerals. These may
be at different levels of capital investment.
Forestry co-operatives; are involved in
timber related business or honey processing
and using resources from the forests.
Savings and credit co-operatives; are
those that are financial in nature and
mobilize savings from members which they
in turn lend to the members who pay back
with interest.
RIGHTS, LIABILITIES, DUTIES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBERS
(2)
A member has the right to vote (one
person one vote) at meetings of a co-
operative society: and there is no voting by
proxy. However, the Act provides for plural
voting rights for delegates or members who
contribute above average to the
development of the co-operative society but
this is subject to the provisions of the by-
laws of the society.
The right to elect good board of directors:
members have the duty to control the
activities of the co-operative through the
board of directors who are elected to
represent the general membership.
The right to patronage bonus: according to
the Co-operative Societies Act No. 20 of
1998, patronage bonus may be paid to by
the co-operative society to its members. It is
usually paid in relation to the level of
(3) (4)