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The Federal Government has initiated plans to revamp Nigeria’s cooperative sector through the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP), a five-year initiative aimed at strengthening food production, rural development and economic growth.

The government said the programme would reposition cooperative societies as strategic drivers of inclusive growth, food security and rural transformation in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this during the inauguration of the programme’s technical committee in Abuja.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, the minister said the initiative is designed as a national response to structural weaknesses affecting Nigeria’s cooperative and agricultural sectors.

According to him, strengthening cooperative institutions would improve their contribution to food security, job creation, poverty reduction and national economic development.

Abdullahi explained that the programme would focus on seven strategic pillars, including cooperative governance reforms, financing and establishment of a Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, sector digitalisation, capacity building, enterprise growth and market access.

Other focus areas include youth, women and persons with disabilities inclusion, as well as strategic partnerships and investments aimed at improving global competitiveness for Nigerian cooperatives.

“The expected outcomes include enhanced contribution to food security, job creation, economic growth, social cohesion and poverty reduction, improved governance and management of cooperative societies, and increased access to funding, markets and technology,” he said.

The minister also tasked the committee with driving policy implementation, strengthening inter-ministerial collaboration and supporting farmer cooperative groups through improved access to inputs, extension services and aggregation systems.

Speaking further, Director of the Federal Department of Cooperative, Mohammed Abdulkadir, described the initiative as a major framework for cooperative transformation, digitalisation and economic revitalisation between 2025 and 2030.

He said the programme aligns with resolutions reached during the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs focused on revitalising Nigeria’s cooperative sector for sustainable national development.

The Permanent Secretary also highlighted the importance of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme, describing it as a strategic model for agricultural industrialisation and food systems transformation in Nigeria.

According to Ogunbiyi, the SAPZ initiative seeks to reduce post-harvest losses, attract private investment, create jobs for youths and women, strengthen food security and stimulate inclusive economic growth.

He explained that the programme would establish integrated agro-industrial hubs equipped with critical infrastructure such as roads, power supply, water systems, storage facilities, logistics networks and processing centres located near major farming communities.

Ogunbiyi added that the initiative is jointly financed by the Federal Government, the African Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Islamic Development Bank in collaboration with participating state governments and private sector stakeholders.

He noted that the programme is expected to reposition agriculture as a business-driven and industrialised sector capable of reducing food imports, boosting exports and driving national economic development.

Also speaking, National Programme Coordinator, Kabir Yusuf, said the SAPZ programme is designed to attract private sector investment into agro-processing and unlock opportunities for job creation, export growth, rural poverty reduction and improved contribution of agriculture to Nigeria’s GDP.