FG, Seamfix partner to digitise cooperative sector
August 17, 2026 12:45 am
The Federal Government has signed an agreement with Seamfix Limited and the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria to develop and deploy a national digital registry to formalise and improve the management of Nigeria’s cooperative sector.
The National Cooperative Smart Registry will provide a central digital platform for registering and verifying cooperative societies and their members, with individual members linked to their National Identification Numbers, Seamfix announced in a statement.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Abuja on 12 August 2026 by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Seamfix and the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria as part of the government’s Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme.
Nigeria has more than 370,000 registered cooperative societies with membership estimated in the tens of millions. The societies operate across sectors including agriculture, commerce, manufacturing, housing, transport and finance.
However, the government said that many cooperative societies still rely on manual systems to manage membership records, making it difficult to verify genuine members, determine the size of the sector and ensure that government interventions reach intended beneficiaries.
The new digital infrastructure will comprise the National Cooperative Smart Registry, a Cooperative Verification Number for registered societies, and a Cooperative Member Identification Number for individual members.
The CoopID will link a cooperative member’s verified identity directly to their NIN, creating a digital record that can be used to establish the identity and status of members within the cooperative system.
The government said that the registry is not intended to replace the statutory registration and regulatory responsibilities of the Federal Department of Cooperatives or state and Federal Capital Territory cooperative authorities.
Instead, the system will provide a common digital infrastructure through which cooperative information can be verified and connected across the country.
The initiative is expected to improve regulatory coordination, reduce fraud and duplication, and provide better data for government planning, investment and the delivery of interventions.
The Federal Government also said that the digitalisation of the sector could strengthen cooperatives’ ability to access finance and government support by making their membership and organisational structures more visible to the formal economy.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Aliyu Abdullahi, said that the initiative would establish a trusted framework for verified cooperative information while maintaining the regulatory powers of existing authorities.
The minister said that the system would help improve the targeting of government interventions and make genuine cooperative societies and their members more visible within systems established to serve them.
Under the agreement, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security will provide national policy direction and regulatory leadership, while state and FCT cooperative authorities will participate in implementation within their jurisdictions.
The Cooperative Federation of Nigeria will coordinate stakeholder engagement, sensitisation and mobilisation across the cooperative movement, while Seamfix will provide the technology and infrastructure required to deploy and operate the registry.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of Seamfix, Chimezie Emewulu, said that the registry would serve as infrastructure connecting cooperative societies to systems designed to support them.
“At Seamfix, we believe that identity is not a privilege; it is a right,” Emewulu said, adding that the registry would provide the digital layer needed to connect cooperatives to the wider economy.
The Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Seamfix, Frank Atube, remarked that the absence of a digital system connecting cooperative records had left the sector dependent on manual processes and made it harder for government interventions to reach the right beneficiaries.
He stated that the Cooperative Verification Number would give registered societies a verified digital identity, while the CoopID would link individual members to their NINs.
Seamfix said that it has more than a decade of experience in digital identity and verification programmes and has supported the enrolment of more than 130 million Nigerians in partnership with the National Identity Management Commission. The company said that it operates in six African markets and has managed more than 350 million identities.
The Federal Government said that the cooperative registry would ultimately support financial inclusion, agricultural development, food security and employment creation by giving the sector a more reliable digital identity and information infrastructure.
Justice has over three years experience spanning digital and print media. At The PUNCH, he currently covers the automobile sector with special interest in features and industry analysis.
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