The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria (CFN) and technology firm Seamfix Limited to deploy Nigeria’s National Cooperative Identity, Trust and Digital Governance Infrastructure.
Signed on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, in Abuja by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), Dr Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, the agreement marks the formal commencement of a mandatory six-month national revalidation and recertification exercise for all existing cooperative societies across the federation.
Speaking during the second day of the National Technical Workshop on Cooperative Sector Digitalisation, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Senator Dr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, stated that the initiative transitions the sector “from demonstration to implementation” under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP 2030).
Under the new operational framework, cooperatives must verify their registration records with their respective State Departments of Cooperatives to be onboarded onto the National Cooperative Smart Registry (NCSR).
Verified cooperatives will receive a unique Cooperative Verification Number (CVN), while individual cooperators will be issued a Cooperative Member Identification Number (CoopID).
The digital infrastructure forms the core of the National Cooperative Digital Architecture Platform (NCDAP). Designed to address decades of identity gaps, the system enables government agencies to verify genuine cooperatives, track federal interventions, enforce compliance under Section 54 of the Cooperative Societies Act, and integrate with the CoopCHECK credit bureau.
Furthermore, the platform incorporates USSD channels to ensure accessibility for rural farmers using feature phones.
Senator Abdullahi also directed the harmonisation of all ongoing reviews of the Nigerian Cooperative Societies Act to produce an updated bill recognising digital registries, electronic records, and agricultural fintech integration, laying the data foundation for the proposed Cooperative Bank of Nigeria (CoopBank).
Dr Ogunbiyi highlighted that FMAFS will oversee institutional coordination, while Seamfix will build, deploy, and maintain the primary registry and identity administration infrastructure.
Executive Director and Group Chief Operating Officer of Seamfix Limited, Frank Atube, confirmed that the platform will undergo pilot rollouts across all six geopolitical zones to validate system compatibility, integrating the new CVN and CoopID frameworks directly into Nigeria’s national identity ecosystem.
Source: FMAFS
