Forus and DotCooperation empower African cooperatives with digital tools
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DotCooperation LLC and FORUS Digital Cooperative partnered to expand digital access and trust for cooperatives across Africa.
The two organisations signed an agreement designating FORUS as the lead partner for implementing digital identities on the continent. This collaboration aims to connect African cooperatives to the global cooperative movement through verified .coop domains, giving them an identifiable online presence. FORUS will assist cooperatives with obtaining digital identities, integrating the technology, and using platforms like WorldMap.coop and Stories.coop to increase visibility.
The partnership focuses on a five-stage process, moving cooperatives from establishing an online identity to full participation in digital commerce, including digital payments and international trade. The organisations intend this approach to help cooperatives maintain local control while benefiting from digital economic opportunities. FORUS is already applying this framework in several projects. In collaboration with the World Agriculture Forum, they are developing TerraNexus, a platform connecting farmers in Africa to global markets.
They also created WOW-Connect in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, a digital platform for the ECTTC, the largest public transport cooperative in Africa, integrating payments and fleet management. Additionally, FORUS is piloting a program in Punjab, India, to support women-led rural enterprises and supply chains. By combining DotCooperation’s domain authority with FORUS’s technology, the partnership hopes to provide a model for African cooperatives to succeed in the growing digital economy while safeguarding local governance.
