From Okwe Obi
Maistrade Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited has announced a $5 billion Cooperative Trust Fund to boost food production and ensure quality education.
Its President/Chief Vision Officer, Benjamin Aduli, at a press conference on Friday in Abuja, said the fund, also known as the AssuredInvest Cooperative Trust Fund, will mobilise cooperative capital into national priority sectors such as agriculture, affordable housing, MSMEs, education, green energy, and digital inclusion.
Aduli said when properly structured, transparently governed, and purposefully deployed, the fund would unlock the full economic potential of farmers, farmlands, and small businesses.
He explained that the fund is backed by institutional capital, governed by cooperative law, not securities law, driven by clear cooperative use-cases: food production, mechanisation, housing, education, clean energy, and digital inclusion.
“The AssuredInvest Fund is more than an investment model; it is a national call to action. Through this fund, we are enabling millions of Nigerians to collectively shape their economic destiny through secure, trusted, and inclusive cooperative finance,” he said.
He complained that for decades, the Nigerian cooperative system has been treated as an afterthought—underutilised, underfinanced, and underestimated, stating that “today, that era ends. With this fund, we are shifting from marginalisation to mobilisation.”
He pointed out that what makes the AssuredInvest Fund historic “is its demand-driven nature.
“Unlike traditional financing models that are supply-driven—flooding the market with unsolicited capital—this fund responds only to verified cooperative demand.
“It is tailored to the real, structured needs of cooperative members—whether that’s a rice farmer in Lokoja, a housing cooperative in Enugu, an MSME cluster in Kaduna, or a youth cooperative in Abeokuta.
“It is not a public investment scheme. It is a secured cooperative financing framework, created by members, for members, and through members.”
According to him, “the Fund will be administered transparently with the oversight of trustee banks, insurance underwriters, and cooperative federations—including our partners from: Cooperative Financing Agency of Nigeria (CFAN); National Agricultural Cooperative Organisation (NACO); Cooperative Housing Federation of Nigeria (COHFON); Akilaah National Cooperative Federation (Akilaah).”
He also announced that “in the weeks ahead, we will begin onboarding verified cooperative societies nationwide to participate.
“We encourage federations, unions, primary cooperatives, and affiliate networks to engage with the Maistrade Ecosystem, access onboarding kits, and take advantage of this generational opportunity.”
