1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Co-operative is an autonomous association of person United voluntary to meet their common social and cultural needs and aspirations through owned and democratically controlled enterprises (ICA 1995). Co-operative are based on the value of self help, self responsibility democracy, equally and solidarity. It is a business owned and controlled equally by the people who work there.
Co-operative are dedicated to the values of openness, social responsibility and caring for others such as legal entities have a range of social characteristics, membership is open, meaning that any one who satisfies certain non discriminatory conditions may join.
Before independence in 1960, women were born for subordination and obedience to their parents to begin with her husbands then to their children later and to their duties always. But currently, apart form their domestic duties; women are also variable human resources for meaningful development. Gone are those days when women were confined primarily as house wives and symbols of wealth to the men/husbands. The increases in women activism and sprouting of women’s organization led to formation of an umbrella organization for all women’s society, which started in Nigeria in 1957 for the purpose of integration of different women organization into development process so that they can interact with the government and even with the outside world in order to get support and aid.
Co-operative brings women together for empowerment and to gain support and form government. In order words, co-operative is a virtual instrument for women empowerment and realization of the vital role of women in t field or agriculture, education, health and commerce. The needs to properly organize, equip and increase the potentials of women towards national development become inevitable. It is certain that co-operative society plays are increasingly significant role in satisfying materials, social and political need of the rural and urban women in Nigeria in the Third National Development Plan (1975-1980), the Federal Republic of Nigeria made a policy objective of fostering the growth of cooperatives as an instrument for achieving increased agricultural productivity and rural transformation. Some of these programmes such as The Better Life for Rural Women Programme, The family Support Programme (FSP) Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP) are specific strategies by the government to ensure women active participation in development. Co-operative societies are organized economic groups which are created to accomplish one or more functions, including facilitating, production, marketing, purchasing, supplying and the provision of credit facilities to its members.
Writing in (1981:114), Ijere(1981:114) Lamented that we were yet to experience women’s full participation in co-operative societies.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Women provide the backbone of rural economy in much of sub-Saharan Africa where about 80% of the economically active female labour force is employed in agriculture (Gamorthy and Pithadia, 2007). According to them, women are responsible for 70% of food production, 50% of domestic food storage, 100% of food processing 50% of animal husbandry and 60% of agricultural marketing. All these notwithstanding, many African women paradoxically are living in abject poverty and form the larger segment of the society that disproportionately represented below the poverty line (Corbelt, 2006). This is the result of several factors or barriers. These include inadequate access to land, especially when they do not have husbands; inadequate access to credit; production inputs, extension services, lack of modern technology and thus over dependence on manual labour; their heavy home duties their marginalization when it comes to the benefiting from their labour.
Co-operative societies as proven veritable instruments for development, could be the answer to solving some of these difficulties women face in their quest for economic empowerment.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The general objective of the study is to examine how women in Agwu local government Area can be economically empowered through cooperative societies. The main specific objectives are:
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study is very important particularly now that all levels of government are interested in getting women more involved in rural and national development and a lot of emphasis is being placed on research on women participation in national life, not only in the country but also at the international level. There are number of stakeholders and interested parties who/which can benefit from the findings and recommendations of this research project. Government at all levels will find the findings and recommendations of interest, because they can guide them in policy making various spheres of national life. Development partners, including foreign governments, and international organizations and NGOs can benefit from the information and Data contained in this work as they will serve as a source of information. Researchers and students interested in women in development (W.I.N) and co-operatives can equally find this project of some interest and can serve in some cases as the foundation for further research and /or for comparison purposes. The general public can also find this research project of some interest since it provide information and date on women participation and development a subject matter which almost every citizen shows interest in. women themselves and their association will also find this work of special rest since it pinpoints their contributions to development and also provides guidelines for their involvement in co-operatives. Co-operatives societies and their members can also benefit from this work since it critically examined certain issues concerning them. The findings on the problems and recommendations can serve as guidelines to them for future decision and actions.
1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF STUDY
The research work is limited to Enugu Awgu local government area of Enugu State and spans between 2007-2014, a period of seven years, the main issues discussed are; the reasons why women form or join cooperative societies; the types of cooperative societies they form or join; the extent these co-operative have promoted women, the problems faced by these co-operatives and the necessary recommendations.
The researcher faced a number of challenges when writing this project the literature review was difficult to write because the university library is deplete of the necessary books and references materials.
Secondly, it was difficult to get the cooperation of the respondents namely the director of co-operatives in Enugu state; the co-operative societies in Awgwu Local Government Area and the members of the societies. It took a lot of time to finally get their co-operation.
1.7 DEFINITION OF SOME TERMS
Definitions of the terms or the underlisted terms are used in this work.