Stakeholders including MAIS Limited, with other key industry stakeholders, have launched the $5 billion AssuredInvest Cooperative Trust Fund, introducing an innovative, demand-driven financing model targeted specifically for cooperative societies nationwide.
The fund aims to mobilise capital to meet the critical needs of cooperatives, promoting transparency, good governance, and active member participation.
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Speaking at the launch, Benjamin Aduli, Chief Vision Officer of MAIS Limited, emphasised that this is not just another fund, but a clear statement that cooperative capital, when transparently structured and purposefully deployed, can unlock the true economic potential of communities.
Aduli explained that the trust fund will operate under strict oversight by trustee banks, insurance underwriters, and national cooperative bodies, including the Cooperative Financing Agency of Nigeria (CFAN), the National Agricultural Cooperative Organisation (NACO), and the Cooperative Housing Federation of Nigeria (COHFON).
He noted that the initial rollout will begin with the onboarding of verified cooperative societies across the country. He also encouraged stakeholders to engage with the Maistrade Ecosystem to access participation kits and funding tools.
Also speaking at the event, Easter Audu, National President of the Women in Agric Cooperative Federation, described the launch as a national awakening. She commended the simultaneous unveiling of a national drone surveillance programme launched alongside the $5 billion trust fund.
Developed in partnership with Terra Industries and MAIS, the drone initiative will initially support 20,000 rice farmers in Kogi State, strengthening farmland security and providing vital agricultural intelligence to rural communities.
Audu highlighted that the AssuredInvest Trust Fund is the first of its kind in Africa, a demand-driven fund rather than a supply-driven one.
“It does not push capital into speculative programs; rather, it responds to verified cooperative demand and needs, ensuring that every kobo mobilised directly impacts real people, real enterprises, and real communities.
“It is built on the principles of shared risk, shared return, and shared vision. This fund is not a public investment scheme, it is a cooperative financing model, rooted in the law, backed by trust, and driven by a mission to uplift”, she said.
Chief Executive Officer of Terra Industries, Nathan Nwachuku, in his remarks, described the initiative as a strategic intervention designed to protect food producers, safeguard critical agricultural assets, and strengthen national food security in the face of mounting threats.
“Food insecurity is not just a rural problem; it is a national emergency. From climate-related challenges to organised farm theft and communal disruptions, Nigerian farmers face daily risks that weaken our food chain and threaten our national stability. This drone program is our response, a fusion of technology, trust, and territorial protection”, he said.
In its first phase, he said the programme will deploy drones to provide 24/7 aerial surveillance over 40,000 hectares of farmland in Kogi State, where more than 20,000 rice farmers operate under the MAIS Cooperative network.
The drones, he said, will offer persistent situational awareness, real-time threat detection and alerts, and data analytics to support security decision-making.
Nwachuku emphasised that this marks only the beginning of a wider rollout. “Our roadmap extends across all 36 states, providing a scalable digital backbone for agro-security, crop monitoring, disaster response, and even smart irrigation in future phases,” he noted.
Beyond innovation, the initiative aims to promote inclusion by integrating drone technology into the cooperative system to ensure even the smallest farmers can access real-time security intelligence.