As part of measures towards boosting Agriculture, a $5 billion Assured Invest Cooperative Trust Fund has been launched by a company known as Mechanized Agricultural Investment and Services (MAIS) Limited to “unlock the full economic potential of our people, farmlands, small businesses, and national future”.
The fund is described as one of the most transformative financial vehicles ever created for the cooperative sector in Africa.
While speaking at the launch in Abuja over the weekend, Chief Vision Officer, MAIS, Mr. Benjamin Aduli, said the fund remained,“A bold declaration that cooperative capital—when properly structured, transparently governed, and purposefully deployed can unlock the full economic potential of our people, our farmlands, our small businesses, and our national future.”
He observed that for decades, the Nigerian cooperative system had been treated as an afterthought—underutilised, underfinanced, and underestimated.
He said, “Today, that era ends. With this Fund, we are shifting from marginalisation to mobilisation.”
He said the fund was particularly historic given that it is demand-driven.
“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” he said.
Aduli further explained that the fund is backed by institutional capital, governed by cooperative law, not securities law, and driven by clear cooperative use-cases: food production, mechanisation, housing, education, clean energy, and digital inclusion.
He said, “It is not a public investment scheme. It is a secured cooperative financing framework, created by members, for members, and through members.
“The fund will be administered transparently with the oversight of trustee banks, insurance underwriters, and cooperative federations—including our partners.”
He listed the partners to include,
Cooperative Financing Agency of Nigeria (CFAN), National Agricultural Cooperative Organisation (NACO), Cooperative Housing Federation of Nigeria (COHFON), and Akilaah National Cooperative Federation (Akilaah).
Aduli also said the company would begin onboarding verified cooperative societies nationwide to participate in the fund subject to its terms and conditions.
He said, “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.Together, we are building more than a financial fund—we are building a new era of economic justice, where membership equals access and contribution guarantees returns.
“Let me thank every single partner—especially our banking allies, technology partners, and the leaders of Nigeria’s cooperative renaissance—for believing in this vision and walking this journey with us.Let history remember this day not just as a launch, but as the day Nigerian cooperatives stood up—not to beg, but to build.”
