The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister for Cooperative Affairs, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi has said that the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP) would drive affordable housing scheme through cooperative societies, digital finance and strategic partnerships.
The Minister made this known during the 2026 Cooperative Housing Summit Africa (CHOSA), with the Theme: “Catalyzing Adequate Housing for All through Cooperatives”, held in Abuja, recently.
Sen. Dr. Aliyu Abdullahi stated that ‘’cooperatives remain one of the most powerful vehicles for economic inclusion, community mobilization, self-help development, social solidarity, and shared prosperity. Through cooperative housing systems, people can pool resources, reduce costs, improve bargaining power, access financing collectively, and create sustainable pathways to home ownership’’.
He noted that ‘’cooperative housing has demonstrated remarkable success in promoting affordable housing delivery, reducing homelessness, strengthening communities, and improving social welfare. Across several countries, housing cooperatives have become strategic instruments for urban renewal, affordable home ownership, and inclusive economic participation’’.
The Minister revealed plans for the establishment of a Cooperative Bank of Nigeria designed to provide accessible financing for cooperative housing schemes, mortgages, infrastructure development and community projects.
According to him, the proposed bank would operate under a cooperative ownership structure and focus on underserved Nigerians, especially workers in the informal sector.
He stressed that ‘’Africa’s cooperative housing ecosystem cannot operate effectively in the modern era without robust digital infrastructure’’.
He assured that the Federal Government would digitize cooperative operations nationwide to improve transparency, financial management, access to credit and investor confidence.
He explained that digital finance platforms would simplify mortgage repayment systems, housing project monitoring and cooperative member verification, among others.
The Minister emphasized that the cooperative housing initiatives should remain inclusive and responsive to the needs of:
i. Women;
ii. Youth;
iii. Persons with Disabilities (PWDs);
iv. Farmers;
v. Informal sector workers;
vi. Rural communities;
vii. Low-income earners; and
viii. Vulnerable populations.
He encouraged African governments to strengthen enabling policies, improve regulatory frameworks, support cooperative financing systems, simplify land administration processes, and incentivize affordable housing investments.
In his remarks, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Muttaqha Darma, represented by the Director, Public Buildings and Housing Development, Mr. Samuel Pemi stated that the cooperative housing remained one of the most practical solutions to Africa’s growing housing deficit.
He said that technology-driven finance would play a major role in improving mortgage administration and housing access for citizens in both formal and informal sectors.
In his presentation, the Founder of Nigeria Integrated Social Housing Cooperative Ltd. (NISH), Dr. Saheed Adelakun, faulted the traditional Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, insisting that affordable housing delivery must now embrace a “Public-Private-People Partnership” approach.
He advised that ‘’intended homeowners should be directly involved in housing projects for affordability to be achieved’’.
He pointed out that “We need houses that low and middle-income earners can truly afford. Government, developers, cooperatives and homebuyers must work together.”
During her Goodwill Massages, the President of the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria (CFN), Mrs Hannatu Mershak, stated that the federation currently supervises more than 50,000 cooperatives with over 30 million members nationwide.
Mrs. Mershak urged governments, financial institutions and private investors to deepen collaboration with cooperatives to address Nigeria’s housing shortage.
Ezeaja Ikemefuna
Head, Department of Information
21/5/2026
