Martin Whitfield MSP has welcomed a group of international credit union representatives to the Scottish Parliament to speak to them about its work and give them a tour of the parliament building.

The group of visitors comprised of senior people across several different countries, mostly in Africa, and the parliamentary visit was just part of a wider programme of meetings and visits in Scotland. The purpose of the tour and visit, hosted by Capital Credit Union, which serves Edinburgh and the Lothians, was to identify and bring back best practice to African credit unions.

The visitors included the CEO of the African Confederation of Co-operative Savings and Credit Associations, which represents local societies from 27 African nations, the Chair of the Kenyan Police Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in Africa, and the CEO of the British Association of Credit Unions.

Speaking after the visit, Martin Whitfield MSP said:

“I have always been a strong supporter of credit unions and the positive difference they can make for individuals and communities. So, when Capital Credit Union approached me about hosting their international visitors at Holyrood, I was delighted to accept and agree to welcome them to Parliament.

“As well as being able to show the visitors around the parliament building and tell them about how it works, I was also pleased to learn more about their important activity at home. For example, the Kenyan Police Credit Union, which has 64,000 members, does fantastic work in education, building financial resilience, training and development.

“I want to say thank you and well done to Capital Credit Union for organising the visit, and I hope that all of the group found the visit to parliament and their wider activity in Scotland helpful in further informing and enhancing their excellent credit union work.”