FG inaugurates agriculture, cooperative reform technical committee to boost food security, economic growth

Food

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) has inaugurated a Ministerial Technical Committee for the implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP) aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s cooperative sector and boosting socio-economic development.

According to a statement issued by Ezeaja Ikemefuna, Head, Department of Information, the programme, scheduled to run from 2025 to 2030, is designed to reposition cooperative societies as drivers of inclusive growth, food security, rural development and agricultural transformation in line with national development priorities.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony held at the ministry’s conference room in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the initiative was a strategic response to challenges confronting Nigeria’s cooperative and agricultural sectors.

The minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, noted that the cooperative sector remains critical to economic growth, poverty reduction, social cohesion and job creation.

According to him, the programme is expected to strengthen institutions within the sector and improve the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians through enhanced agricultural productivity and cooperative development.

“By addressing the sector’s challenges and strengthening its institutions, the programme will enhance the sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s economic development and improve the lives of millions of Nigerians,” he stated.

Abdullahi identified seven strategic pillars of the reform programme, including cooperative governance and institutional reforms, establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation and data management systems, capacity building and cooperative education.

Other pillars include value chain development, enterprise growth and market access, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, as well as strategic partnerships and global cooperative competitiveness.

The minister said the expected outcomes of the initiative include improved food security, increased access to funding and technology for cooperative societies, stronger partnerships among stakeholders and enhanced economic opportunities for rural communities.

He also charged members of the technical committee to work diligently toward achieving the objectives of the programme in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agricultural development agenda and the administration’s target of building a one-trillion-dollar economy within the decade.

Abdullahi explained that the committee would serve as the lead coordinating body within the ministry for the implementation of the programme and would also support policy execution, inter-ministerial collaboration and agricultural financing initiatives.

Earlier in his remarks, the Director of the Federal Department of Cooperative, Dr Mohammed Abdulkadir, said the programme was approved during the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs (NCCA).

He described the initiative as Nigeria’s official framework for cooperative transformation, digitalisation and economic revitalisation under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdulkadir added that the implementation plan also provided for the establishment of the ministerial technical committee to coordinate and drive the programme across relevant departments and agencies within the ministry.