Kishor Kumar T K, Chief Project Coordinator of the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS), Kerala, participated as a Distinguished Speaker and Mentor at the International Conference on Worker Cooperatives and Decent Youth Employment in Africa, held in Lusaka, Zambia, from 24 to 26 August 2026.

Organised by Cooperation Africa in partnership with the International Cooperative Alliance–Africa (ICA-Africa), the conference brought together cooperative leaders, policymakers, researchers, development partners and young cooperative entrepreneurs to discuss the role of worker cooperatives in generating decent employment and promoting inclusive economic growth.

Kishor Kumar delivered a presentation titled “Worker Cooperatives and Job Creation – Examples from Around the World and Africa,” highlighting ULCCS’ journey as a worker-owned cooperative. He emphasised how cooperative enterprises can create sustainable employment opportunities while encouraging collective ownership, entrepreneurship, innovation and inclusive economic participation.

During the conference, he also highlighted the importance of engaging youth as active participants in the cooperative movement. He stressed that young people should be encouraged to become entrepreneurs, members, innovators and future leaders rather than being viewed only as beneficiaries.

As part of the Africa Cooperative Entrepreneurship (ACE) Programme, Kishor Kumar mentored young African cooperative ambassadors, encouraging them to explore cooperative entrepreneurship as a pathway for employment generation, enterprise development and economic empowerment.

Addressing youth unemployment challenges across Africa, he called for increased focus on youth-led cooperatives, cooperative education, innovation and leadership development. He noted that cooperatives can help create opportunities for decent work while strengthening ownership and participation among young people.

The engagement strengthened knowledge exchange between India and Africa’s cooperative movements while showcasing ULCCS as an example of how worker cooperatives can support employment generation, entrepreneurship and inclusive economic development.