We are approaching the year 2020, a significant and rounded figure; Our expectation for 2020 resembles this figure – a well-rounded, complete and good year. I believe that 2020 will be a very important year in the growth and expression of our DREAM to be a BODY that “touches” the community of Africa with the LOVE of GOD!

Our planning includes going more “public” with the first KINGDOM CONFERENCE in our midst in three years! This conference aims to create an opportunity to learn from one another and discuss KINGDOM PRINCIPLES in the marketplace and society on a very practical level. Touching Africa will also have a GALA EVENING at the end of the year, where we will give recognition to those who played a role in Touching Africa during the year and celebrate what the LORD is doing in our midst. Please take note of these two dates and prepare in advance to join us for these two events with us!

The core focus in 2020 will be on further establishing and defining the role of the eight new cooperatives as institutional tools to give expression to the Touching Africa VISION in the marketplace. 2020’s VISION is therefore the CORPORITISATION of the Touching Africa VISION. These cooperatives aim to operate as the BODY of CHRIST within legal entities in the economic reality of the marketplace!

Please identify where and how you can contribute or participate in this exciting process of giving expression to the KINGDOM as a BODY in the marketplace:

• Cooperative for Integrated Development Services: This cooperative includes service providers in the water and sanitation sector; infrastructure, asset and land development; and community and environmental development. Service providers in our network include engineers, environmental practitioners, specialists such as engineering geologists, geohydrologist, scientific and environmental specialists, town and regional planners and project and program managers. The purpose of this vehicle is to render comprehensive, integrated and professional service on project basis with alignment to a Kingdom Vision as point of departure.

• Cooperative for Agricultural Services: This includes service providers in the AGRI sector as well as farmers and participants in the food security sector. Touching Africa’s network members include agricultural engineers, agronomists and other AGRI specialists, active farmers and organisations involved in the broader AGRI sector. The purpose of this vehicle will be to map the way forward to unlock the potential of co-operation between KINGDOM VISION BASED role-players in the AGRI sector.

• Cooperative for Business Services: This cooperative consists of professional and other supporting business service providers that include auditors, lawyers, financial management services, wealth management services, institutional services and various other specialist services. The purpose of this vehicle will be to develop a special business services hub for the Touching Africa Network members – in order to be an expression of the power of being together within a Kingdom Vision framework GROUP. We believe that this will lead to a mechanism that empowers us to walk all the more in the privilege and advantage of being a BODY in a very practical way in the market sector.

• Cooperative for Training and Education: This includes a wide spectrum of stake holders in the Training and Education sector, including institutions like schools to Universities, training centres, service providers, educators, trainers, program developers and many more. The

purpose of this entity is to be a forum on which different training and educational role players can work towards a Kingdom based platform.

• Cooperative for Trade and Tourism: This cooperative includes owners of Tourism facilities, service providers on Tourism, Trading businesses, and people with a dream to develop Tourism and Trade opportunities. The purpose of this cooperative is to render a forum for creative thinking to develop this market sector within the community of Africa to a higher level.

• Cooperative for Enterprise Development: This includes all network members that have a special interest in Enterprise Development. It overlaps with other cooperatives like Trade and Tourism, but the focus here is mainly on Enterprise Development itself. The purpose of this vehicle is to facilitate Enterprise Development and related funds as expression of the Touching Africa vision.

• Cooperative for Community Social Services. This cooperative includes all network members that function as a non-profit organisation and have a vision to address specific social and community-related challenges. The purpose here is to network all organisations with a common vision to make a difference, and to develop a forum where other network members can support the non-profit organisations in their work.

• Cooperative Financial Institution. This entity is a secondary cooperative with the aim of rendering financial services as a Cooperative Financial Institution (CFI) to the Touching Africa network members. This will include basic bank services and will lay the foundation for the development of a Cooperative Bank in Touching Africa.

Workshops and activities regarding the various co-operatives are included in the 2020 program in the TAG.