In Memory of Suleman Chambo

CASC/ACÉC mourns passing of Professor Suleman Chambo

It is with sadness that we share the news that Professor Suleman Chambo of Moshi Co-operative University in Tanzania has recently passed away after a long illness. Professor Chambo will be remembered for his vast contributions to the co-operative movement in Tanzania, with a career spanning over 30 years in the field of co-operative and organizational development. 

Chambo received degrees in Economics from the University of Dar-Es–Salaam, Tanzania, and a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies, Organisational Management and Development from York University, Toronto, Canada. He returned to Tanzania to teach at the Co-operative College Moshi, eventually becoming Principal and Associate Professor of Economics and Organizational Management at the Moshi University College of Co-operative and Business Studies. He devoted over 30 years to teaching, research, and consultancy in the fields of economics, co-operative management, development economics, and project planning. He and his colleagues at what is today the Moshi Co-operative University provided critical training and education regarding co-operative organizations and their management, strengthening and advancing co-operative development throughout Tanzania.

A very productive researcher, Chambo was the team leader with the ICA project, “Enabling Environment for Cooperative Development in Africa,” 2006-2007, which covered six countries in the region, including Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Swaziland. From 2013 to 2016 he was co-Principal Investigator on the IDRC-funded project, Examining Success Factors for Sustainable Rural Development through the Integrated Co-operative Model, working in partnership with CCA and the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, as well as universities and co-op partners in Uganda and Rwanda.

In addition to his academic contributions, Chambo served as a board member of several people-based and rural development organisations in Tanzania, such as the Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organization, Small Farmers Network of Tanzania, Financial Services and Enterprise Development Association, and Research on Poverty Alleviation (NGO). He had recently been appointed a member of the Steering Committee of the COOP-AFRICA Programme, seeking to revitalize the co-operative enterprise in Africa.

Professor Suleman Chambo was a visionary with a passion for co-operatives and his country.  On behalf of the CASC/ACÉC Board of Directors, he will be greatly missed.

Asante sana, Professor Chambo.