Minister of State for Agriculture & Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to change the narrative of the Cooperative sector to enhance sustainable economic growth, inclusivity, and food security, amongst others.
Senator Abdullahi spoke at the flag-off of the National Intensive Training workshop for trustees, management committees, and managers of cooperative societies in Nigeria held at Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna recently.
Quoting the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) which said over 12% of the global population was engaged in one of the 3 million cooperatives worldwide, the Minister stressed that Cooperatives was vital for sustainable economic growth, providing stable employment and work opportunities for 280 million people, which accounts for about 10% of the world’s workforce.
He revealed that the largest 300 cooperatives generate a total turnover of $2.4 trillion, as reported by the World Cooperative Monitor (2023), noting that with the above statistics, the Renewed Hope Administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, recognized the cooperative societies' crucial role in driving economic growth, social development, and community empowerment.
The Minister stated that the priority given to reforming and revamping the sector was one of Mr. President Campaign promises, of which they are actualizing it with vigour and a patriotic sense of duty and obligation to the citizens, adding that to meet the expectations of revitalizing the sector, “we are committed to providing capacity-building and development opportunities for cooperative society leaders and managers in the 36 States of the Federation including the FCT. This training flag-off is a testament to that commitment.
“As we embark on the Renewed Hope Agenda for the cooperative sector, we are serious about overhauling the system through our reform and revamp program. We aim to bring innovation by renovating first, revitalizing the sector to restore confidence in the masses and bringing back the glory of the cooperative movement as a force to reckon with in socio-economic development in Nigeria”, the Minister pointed out.
Sen. Abdullahi added that the reform and revamp will focus on review and amendments of the Nigeria Cooperative Act to bring it up to date with global best practices and our local realities; development of regulatory framework to ensure compliance and due diligence in management of cooperatives; robust stakeholder mapping and analysis to guarantee participation; and monitoring strategies to weed out fake and corrupt cooperative societies who steal and scam innocent citizens.
He, therefore, commended the efforts of the Provosts of the Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna and Federal College of Agricultural Produce Technology, Kano, for kick-starting the laudable educational initiative, aligning to the reform and revamp programme.
In his remarks, the Provost, Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna, Dr. Ibrahim Auwal pointed out that the training would mark the beginning of a journey that will equip participants with the essential tools, knowledge, and strategies needed to advance cooperatives and strengthen the communities they serve.
He added that the knowledge shared will focus not only on the core principles of cooperative management but also on the critical skills needed to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the modern economy.
Highlights of the event was the inspection of the Cooperative College by the Minister of State and paper presentations by the Provost of the Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna and Kano.
