The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment towards the implementation of the National Cooperative Identity Reform under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP 2030) to transform Nigeria’s cooperative ecosystem into a credible, transparent and bankable economic bloc.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this today while delivering a keynote address at the 10th National Cooperative Summit, Exhibition and Awards organized by the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria (CFN) in Abuja.
At the Summit themed “Cooperative Reform: Unlocking Cooperative Potential for Peace, Sustainable Development and Economic Transformation,” Sen. Abdullahi stated that the reform has become imperative given global realities where approximately 3 million cooperatives represent over one billion members, provide jobs to about 280 million people, while the top 300 cooperatives generate about US$2.79 trillion in turnover.
He noted that Africa’s cooperative sector is valued at about $30 billion, with Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) holding over $16 billion in assets and 40 million members, citing Kenya’s regulated SACCO asset base which grew to about KSh 1.076 trillion (US$8.3 billion) in 2024 as a model Nigeria must learn from.
The Minister emphasized that Nigeria with over 370,000 registered cooperative societies, more than 30 million members and an estimated annual turnover exceeding ₦1.7 trillion, still has its potential underutilised due to fragmentation, analogue administration and weak data.
He explained that the RH-CRRP 2030, unanimously approved by the 8th National Council on Cooperative Affairs in March 2026, provides a seven-pillar reform framework covering legal and regulatory reform, digitalization and data management, cooperative finance, capacity building, enterprise growth, socio-economic inclusion and strategic partnerships.
At the heart of the digitalization pillar, according to him, is the National Cooperative Digital Architecture Platform (NCDAP) which will deliver the National Cooperative Societies Register (NCSR), Cooperative Verifiable Number (CVN) and CoopID to provide credible cooperative identity, eliminate duplication and strengthen regulatory oversight.
Sen. Abdullahi disclosed that the reform targets growing cooperative assets from ₦1.7 trillion to ₦5 trillion within five years and ensuring the true value of the cooperative sector is captured in the computation of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He stated further that the Federal Government is also advancing the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria (CoopBank) and the development of the Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCO) Model in Nigeria to improve access to appropriate finance.
On the institutional repositioning of the apex body, the Minister declared that the CFN, which was confronted by longstanding legacy challenges and divisions when the current administration came on board, is now crisis-free, solidly united and focused, and called on State Cooperative Federations and sectoral federations to cooperate with and strengthen the national apex.
Sen. Abdullahi stressed that going forward, cooperative success will be measured not by the number of societies registered but by assets created, businesses established, jobs generated, farmers supported and livelihoods improved.
He recalled that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, CFN and SEAMFIX Limited as technical implementing partners was signed on August 12, 2026, and implementation has commenced at no cost to the Federal or State Governments.
The Minister therefore tasked State Directors of Cooperatives to give maximum support to the service providers for seamless nationwide implementation.
He also called on financial institutions, investors, technology companies and development partners to look again at Nigeria’s cooperative ecosystem, noting that with credible, verifiable data on over 30 million members, cooperatives now present a de-risked, organized market and platform for investment that enables members to aggregate inputs, mechanization, post-harvest handling, processing, storage and markets, while women and youth access affordable finance for food security, job creation and Nigeria’s journey to a US$1 trillion economy by 2030.
“Let this 10th National Cooperative Summit therefore mark our collective resolve to reposition Nigerian cooperatives beyond instruments of survival into engines of enterprise, instruments of inclusion and strategic institutions for national economic transformation,” the Minister added.
In her remarks, the President, Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, CFN, Mrs Hannatu Mershak stated that ‘’the movement cannot afford fragmentation, we must strengthen cooperation among cooperatives encourage unity across zones and levels, promote transparency and accountability.
Embrace technology and innovation, improve access to finance and develop our human capital, above all, we must remain firmly connected to the ordinary people whose economic aspirations gave birth to the corporative idea’’, she added.
Mrs Mershak appealed that ‘’this summit should not end with speeches ,applause and photographs, let it end with renewed commitments , practical partnership and concrete actions, let build institutions that future generations will be proud to inherit’’.
Ezeaja Ikemefuna
Head, Department of Information
7/10/2026
