By co-operating with various local institutions involved in the promotion of co-operatives in South Africa, DGRV aims at:

• Promoting the gradual development of an adopted cooperative system in South Africa while ensuring that the needs of the members are met.
• Promoting efficient, member-supported and member oriented cooperative enterprises with the longterm aim to interlink these cooperatives into an integrated system of cooperative institutions (secondary and tertiary cooperatives owned by primary and/or secondary cooperatives and cooperative federations) on regional/national level.
• Promoting an adequate legal framework for a sustainable development of co-operatives.
• Promoting a consistent approach for training in cooperatives (member-education, training of staff and management, training of trainers). Introduction of training-modules covering administrative aspects, cooperative management and co-operative policies, all closely adopted to the needs of groups, cooperatives and its members.
• Supporting the development of a system of savings-and-credit cooperatives for rural and urban areas.
• Promoting a system of cooperative auditing (audit upon formation of a cooperative, audit of business activities, management performance audit).