Min. Al-Huwailah, Jahra Gov. open 1st co-op in Al-Mutla’a

On the other hand, Governor of Jahra Hamad Al-Habashi said all the concerned entities are focusing on Mutlaa City now due to its large size and population density. He discussed the needs of the city with Al-Huwailah, explaining that it needs four or five cooperative societies considering its size. He indicated that the Jahra Governorate, in cooperation with the concerned government agencies and participating bodies in the Governorate Council and its committees, is working on proposals to develop services in Mutlaa and Saad Al-Abdullah cities. He said the next phase will witness the provision of more activities and facilities that meet the needs of the residents. Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Financial and Administrative Affairs and Cooperative Affairs Dr. Sayed Issa stated that the opening of the first central market in N8 District is the start of providing cooperative and commercial services for the residents in the city.

He added that the suburban central markets will offer the usual services found in residential cities, in addition to social development centers and multi-purpose halls. He clarified that booking these facilities will be through the ‘Dar Al-Munasebat’ platform, the official website of the ministry or ‘Sahel’ application. He revealed that the National Committee for Cooperative Projects donated funds to build two wedding halls in the city, and construction is expected to commence before the end of this year. He indicated that approving, monitoring and tracking prices are now under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as per the protocol signed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Social Affairs and Union of Cooperative Societies, which took effect in August 2025. He also clarified that price variations in cooperatives could be due to the purchasing power of each cooperative society, offers from suppliers and promotions. He urged the residents and shareholders to familiarize themselves with the jurisdictions of government agencies operating within the cooperative sector to make sure that complaints are directed to the appropriate authority and addressed promptly.

He said the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is in charge of pricing and price monitoring, the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN) oversees product safety and suitability for consumption, the Municipality and Ministry of Commerce and Industry are in charge of licensing, the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) handles labor issues and implementation of the Civil Service Labor Law, and the Ministry of Social Affairs focuses on financial and administrative oversight of cooperative societies and ensuring their compliance with the Cooperative Law and other regulations.

He pointed out that dissolving or dismissing the boards of directors of cooperative societies happens only after confirming serious financial and administrative violations. He said addressing the consequences of these violations requires comprehensive financial, administrative and commercial procedures that cannot be completed within a short period. He added that the reports submitted by the relevant departments proved the correction of most violations, and the implementation of the recommendations of the audit and investigation committees. He said some cooperative societies previously suffered due to illegal appointments that served electoral interests, which burdened their budgets with staffing costs disproportionate to their actual needs.