Nigeria Launches Digital Registry for Cooperatives

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), Seamfix Limited, and the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria (CFN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create the National Cooperative Smart Registry (NCSR) in Abuja. The initiative, part of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP 2030), aims to modernize Nigeria's cooperative sector by providing a digital platform for registering and verifying cooperative societies and their members.

The NCSR will include the Cooperative Verification Number (CVN) and the Cooperative Member Identification Number (CoopID), linking members to their National Identification Numbers (NIN). This system addresses the challenges of manual record-keeping, enhancing transparency and regulatory coordination.

Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, emphasized the initiative's role in improving government intervention targeting and reducing fraud. Seamfix Group CEO Chimezie Emewulu stated the platform would connect cooperatives to formal systems for growth.

Under the MoU, FMAFS will provide policy direction, while CFN will lead stakeholder engagement.