FG moves to digitalize over 30,000 cooperative societies nationwide

The federal government has announced plans to revolutionise cooperative societies across Nigeria through a comprehensive digitalisation programme aimed at improving transparency, governance, and service delivery.

Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the minister of state for Agriculture and Food Security, disclosed this in Abuja during a stakeholders meeting convened to review the Nigerian Cooperative Societies Act, Cap N98 LFN 2004.

He said the initiative would modernise cooperative operations by ensuring transparent financial reporting, accurate member and asset records, and stronger institutional governance across more than 30,000 registered cooperatives in the country.

Abdullahi explained that digital reforms would introduce efficiency and integrity into the sector while reducing fraud and expanding opportunities within the cooperative economy.

He noted that properly structured cooperatives could serve as a vital tool for capital mobilisation, inclusive growth, and shared wealth creation.

The minister described the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme as a national framework designed to position cooperatives as engines for community wealth creation, poverty eradication, and job creation.

According to him, the programme aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of building a one trillion dollar economy by 2030 through the mobilisation of all sectors.

Key reforms under the plan include digital registration, establishment of a national cooperative database, digital membership identification, electronic documentation, and improved reporting systems.

Abdullahi stressed that cooperatives must no longer be treated as secondary activities but as strategic institutions capable of empowering citizens, boosting agricultural productivity, and strengthening the national economy.

He acknowledged contributions from the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria and International IDEA, but maintained that the initiative must be led by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, which has the statutory mandate for cooperative development.

He added that the ministry has fixed a date for a broader harmonisation process that will consolidate inputs from the stakeholders meeting into a final national document.

The document, he said, will align with the International Cooperative Alliance Africa Model Cooperative Law and the Africa Ministerial Declaration and Action Plan, which Nigeria co-signed during the 14th Africa Ministerial Cooperative Conference held in Kenya in October 2025.

Abdullahi also revealed that International IDEA will join the Coalition of the Willing, a group of partners supporting the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme.

In her remarks, Hannatu Mershak, president of the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, said digitalisation is essential for efficiency, inclusion, and sustainable growth within the cooperative ecosystem.

She added that the reform would strengthen cooperative institutions, increase trust, improve service delivery, and unlock new opportunities nationwide.