By Felicia Imohimi
The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Thailand have deepened bilateral cooperation with the signing of new agreements to drive the implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP) 2030.
The agreements focused on agriculture, cooperatives and innovation.
Mr Ezeaja Ikemefuna , Head of Information Department, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) said in a statement issued Thursday in Abuja the pact was signed at a high-level engagement in Lagos.
The meeting was themed: Building Sustainable Partnerships: Connecting Youth, Innovation and Business between Thailand and Nigeria.
He quoted Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, as saying the event marked RH-CRRP 2030’s transition from policy formulation to implementation.
Abdullahi explained that the RH-CRRP 2030 is a seven-pillar reform framework designed to reposition the Nigerian cooperative sector as an instrument for inclusive economic growth and distributed prosperity.
“The agreements include a record of discussions involving Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), Kasetsart University and the Federal Cooperative College, Oji-River, Enugu.
“It also includes a Memorandum of Understanding between Kasetsart University and the Federal Cooperative College, Oji-River.
“We have not merely witnessed the signing of documents; we have witnessed the strengthening of a partnership founded on knowledge, capacity development, innovation, institutional cooperation and shared prosperity.
“The ceremony marks the beginning of a stronger and more productive chapter in Nigeria and Thailand cooperation,” the minister said.
According to him, the partnership directly supports Pillar II of RH-CRRP 2030 which is institutional strengthening, professionalisation and capacity building.
“At the heart of this pillar is a simple but fundamental principle: we cannot build strong and sustainable cooperatives without strong institutions and well-trained people”.
Abdullahi emphasised that the reform placed deliberate emphasis on developing the knowledge, professional competence and leadership capacity of cooperative leaders, managers, regulators and members.
“Thailand’s experience in agriculture, cooperative development, research and innovation presents important opportunities for mutual learning, while Nigeria brings enormous agricultural potential, a vibrant youthful population and significant opportunities for investment”.
He recalled that the ministry, Cooperative Federation of Nigeria (CFN) and Seamfix Limited had earlier in August signed an MoU on cooperative digitalisation pillar of the reform.
According to him, that demonstrated that RH-CRRP 2030 was moving beyond policy formulation towards implementation, institutional action and measurable impact.
The minister reaffirmed the determination of President Bola Tinubu’ administration to reposition cooperatives as strong instruments for agricultural transformation, enterprise development, job and wealth creation, financial inclusion and sustainable livelihoods.
“As we work towards President Tinubu’s aspiration of building a one-trillion-dollar Nigerian economy within this decade, strengthening the capacity, professionalism and productivity of our cooperative institutions and the millions of Nigerians they serve will be critical”.
