The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi has inaugurated a Technical Working Group on the reform and revamping of the co-operatives sector of the economy.
The Minister performed the inauguration recently after delivering the keynote address at a virtual roundtable of multi-stakeholders in co-operatives. They were drawn from different parts of the country and the Diaspora.
“We want to have the Co-operative Movement breathing more life and taking its pride of place in our national economy”, Dr. Abdullahi said.
According to him, “it is trite that if co-operatives work, the economy will not just be robust but the economy will be equitable, because Co-operatives have the capacity for proper redistribution of wealth through the activities of Co-operators in the society”.
He reminded members of the Technical Working Group of the direct linkage between a revamped co-operatives sector and the eight-point agenda encapsulated in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu. “When co-operatives are working, they can guarantee a shared value of prosperity, because the Co-operator is good at sharing and that is why he co-operates”, he explained.
The Minister said that repositioning co-operatives would support livelihoods and contribute to the realisation of President Tinubu’s agenda. “This is because under co-operatives, it is possible for us to support food security, economic growth and job creation; contribute to inclusivity, where we are able to bring in the women, youth, and even the elderly into the Co-operatives fold, and above all guarantee access to capital, because the mobilizing capacity of Co-operatives is definitely deep and wide”, he further said.
The Technical Working Group is tasked with reviewing existing laws and regulations governing co-operatives in the country, and make recommendations for repeal or reenactment where appropriate, among other roles,.
It will equally examine international best practices in co-operatives development and governance, scrutinise the structure and management capacity of co-operatives institutions in the country, as well as recommend sustainable access to finance, technology, and markets for co-operatives. Rebuilding trust and promoting youth integration and participation in co-operatives are also part of the group’s task.
Under the coordination of the Special Assistant on Cooperatives and Farmers Welfare in the Office of the Minister of State, Victor Oyegoke, membership of the Technical Working Group is drawn from federal and state establishments as well as interest groups in the co-operatives sector. It has 45 working days to submit its report.
