Dili, April 1, 2025 (Média Democracia) – The Secretary of State for Cooperatives (SECOOP), through the National Directorate for Integrated Planning in Production and Cooperative Management, conducted training on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and map reading for SECOOP officials across 13 municipalities, including the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Cusse Ambeno (RAEOA).
Secretary of State for Forestry, Fernandino Viera da Costa, attended the event to officially open the training session, which was organized by the Secretary of State for Cooperatives for its municipal officials, including those from RAEOA.
“This training is essential because it helps us identify our economic potential, the existing cooperative groups at the village, sub-village, and administrative post levels. With proper mapping, we can effectively track and support agricultural and cooperative groups, ensuring their growth and contribution to the national economy,” stated the Secretary of State during the opening ceremony at Esperansa Delta Hall.
He further explained that this training would provide SECOOP municipal officials with the knowledge to conduct accurate mapping of agricultural groups, ultimately supporting efforts to improve family economies.
“This is about strengthening family-based economic growth. The training is led by the Directorate-General of Forestry and involves our cooperative coordinators from each municipality. We believe that this four-day session will significantly enhance their capacity to perform fieldwork effectively,” he added.
The Secretary of State also emphasized future collaboration between the Secretariat of State for Cooperatives and the Secretariat of State for Forestry to promote local and forest-based products.
“We aim to promote our local products, including forest-based and non-wood forest products such as honey and resin, which are abundant in our country. With proper training for our agricultural groups and cooperatives, we can improve product quality and quantity, enabling us to export to international markets,” he stated.
Currently, SECOOP and SEF are working together to establish training programs for cooperative groups to develop honey, resin, and other non-wood forest products available across the country.
“These potential products need to be promoted through both institutions, ensuring that in the near future, we can export high-quality products in large quantities. This requires proper training so that after this session, the trained officials can go back to the field and work with cooperative groups to prepare their products for export. This will ultimately benefit both our people and our nation,” he added.
Mapping as a Key Component in Economic Development.
Director-General of SECOOP, Olderico Lopes, emphasized that mapping is a crucial step in product development and cooperative management.
“Mapping is fundamental for SECOOP officials. As I mentioned earlier, they will work in municipalities, and through this training, they will also receive certification, enabling them to conduct mapping and collect data on cooperative production,” he explained.
This training was made possible through coordination between the Secretary of State for Cooperatives and the Secretary of State for Forestry, with trainers from SEF who are skilled in GPS usage. By the end of the training, participants will be able to use GPS devices to map remote areas in all municipalities.
The four-day training session will be attended by 50 participants, primarily SECOOP officials from the 13 municipalities, including RAEOA, along with some national-level officials.
Report by: Estefania
Photo by: Estefania