Abuja: The Federal Government has inaugurated the National Steering Committee (NSC) for the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP) to strengthen cooperative governance and drive sector-wide digitalisation. The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, inaugurated the committee in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Abdullahi stated the inauguration marked a significant step in implementing the RH-CRRP 2025-2030. He emphasized that the programme aims to reposition cooperatives as vehicles for food security, economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction, financial inclusion, and social empowerment. The minister outlined that the committee would serve as the apex coordinating and policy-guiding body for the programme, ensuring that its objectives translate into measurable outcomes across the federation.
The RH-CRRP, approved by the National Council on Cooperative Affairs (NCCA), aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. ‘The programme seeks to transform cooperatives into modern, digitally enabled, transparent, productive and investment-ready institutions capable of driving national development,’ Abdullahi said. He highlighted that cooperatives would serve as platforms for agricultural production, enterprise development, access to finance, value chain integration, and inclusive economic participation.
Abdullahi emphasized that successful implementation required strong leadership, effective coordination, stakeholder ownership, accountability, and sustained oversight. He urged committee members to perform their duties with patriotism, professionalism, integrity, and commitment to national development. The minister tasked them with advancing sector digitalisation through the National Cooperative Smart Registry, Cooperative Verification Number, and Cooperative Member Identification Number.
He also called for the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and other financing mechanisms, as well as promoting agricultural value chains through Farmers Producer Cooperative Organisations and Comparative Cooperative Farms. The minister stressed targeted empowerment initiatives for youths, women, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups, alongside modernising cooperative laws and establishing a robust monitoring, evaluation, and accountability framework.
Earlier, the Federal Director of Cooperatives, Dr Mohammed Abdulkadir, remarked on the vital role cooperatives play in economic empowerment and social development, noting that millions of Nigerians depend on cooperative enterprises for their livelihoods. Abdulkadir pointed out challenges in the sector, such as weak governance structures, outdated laws, inadequate financing, and limited access to markets and technology. He explained that the RH-CRRP was developed to transform the cooperative ecosystem and promote inclusive economic growth, resting on seven pillars: governance reforms, financing, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion, and strategic partnerships.
Abdulkadir urged committee members to translate the programme’s objectives into tangible benefits for cooperative societies and Nigerians, embracing collaboration, innovation, transparency, and professionalism in their assignments. Members of the committee were drawn from key ministries, agencies, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending, among others.