Abstract:
Co-operative institutions exist worldwide and provide essential services which would otherwise
be not affordable by low-income cadre, particularly from rural areas. Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOS,) as form of cooperatives, have managed to serve the poor people
in rural areas who are excluded from mainstream financial systems because they are not
bankable. It is well established that the performance and development of any organization
depends on the quality of its human resource. The fact that SACCOS are made up of ordinary
members, board members and employees, all with varying skills and experiences, they hold the
potential of being better off than other forms of organizations. Despite its importance and
potential for better performance, SACCOS in most African countries including Tanzania, are
experiencing acute human resource development challenge.
This study, therefore, intended to examine human resource development in SACCOS using
experiences of the selected SACCOS in Tanzania. Due to financial constraints, SACCOS have
been recruiting less qualified personnel, while at the same time; they lack human resource
development policy to train the recruited staff, weak education system, lack of funds, and lack
of professional and qualified personnel. There is lack of interaction between the managers and
committees, lack of communication with the ordinary members, limited support from the
federation to which they affiliate, and lack of quality training infrastructure including trainers and training materials. It is well established that the performance and development of any
organization depends on the quality of its human resource.
