In a bid to accelerate development in the cooperative sector and achieve food security and sustainable economic growth, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has inaugurated the National Steering Committee (NSC) for the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP) 2025–2030.
The committee is expected to ensure that the programme’s vision is translated into measurable outcomes across the federation.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony held at the ministry’s conference room in Abuja, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Sen. Dr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said cooperatives would serve as critical platforms for agricultural production, enterprise development, access to finance, value chain integration and inclusive economic participation.
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Sen. Abdullahi revealed that, “The RH-CRRP is fully aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and seeks to transform cooperatives into modern, digitally enabled, transparent, productive and investment-ready institutions capable of driving national development.”
He pointed out that, “This occasion marks another significant milestone in the implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP) 2025–2030, a transformative national framework approved by the National Council on Cooperative Affairs (NCCA) to reposition Nigeria’s cooperative sector as a strategic vehicle for food security, economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction, financial inclusion and social empowerment.”
The minister stated that, “It is for this reason that the RH-CRRP provides for the establishment of a National Steering Committee (NSC) to serve as the apex coordinating and policy-guiding body for the programme.”
He said the NSC would focus on strengthening cooperative governance and institutions; driving nationwide digitalisation through the National Cooperative Smart Registry (NCSR), Cooperative Verification Number (CVN) and Cooperative Member Identification Number (CoopID); facilitating the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and related financing mechanisms; promoting agricultural value chains through Farmers Producer Cooperative Organisations (FPCOs) and Comparative Cooperative Farms (CCFs); supporting youths, women, persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups; modernising the legal and regulatory framework governing cooperatives; and establishing a robust monitoring and evaluation framework.
He charged members “to approach this assignment with patriotism, professionalism, integrity and a deep commitment to national development, and to work collaboratively, provide strategic leadership, ensure stakeholder engagement, monitor implementation rigorously and support the realisation of the objectives of the programme”.
He added that, “The success of the RH-CRRP will not be measured by the number of meetings held or reports produced. It will be measured by the number of cooperatives strengthened, farmers empowered, jobs created, enterprises established, citizens financially included and communities transformed.”
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, stated that, “The RH-CRRP National Steering Committee is established under the supervision of the Honourable Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security (Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs) as the apex oversight, coordination, advisory and policy-guidance body for the implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP).”
He noted that the committee would provide strategic leadership and oversight for the successful implementation of the programme across the country.
Earlier, the Director of the Federal Department of Cooperatives, Dr Mohammed Abdulkadir, said that, “The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, through the Federal Department of Cooperatives, under the leadership of the Honourable Minister, developed the RH-CRRP as a comprehensive reform framework aimed at transforming the cooperative ecosystem and positioning cooperatives as strategic engines of inclusive economic growth, food security, rural development and national prosperity.”
The committee is chaired by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs and comprises representatives of key federal ministries, agencies, financial institutions, cooperative bodies, the organised private sector and civil society organisations.
