Cooperatives are very important in Nigerian economic life. Many different societies are included in this category—consumers' societies, thrift and credit societies, and others—but the most important are the marketing societies, which play a significant role in handling export produce, and sometimes in the production of both food and cash crops. However, the Structural Adjustment Program is gradually replacing cooperatives with farmers' societies and export societies. There are chambers of commerce in all 19 state capitals and Abuja, and a National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture in Lagos and Abuja.
The Girl Guides, the Boy Scouts, YWCA organizations, Muslim societies, Jamat Aid groups, and other community, social, and service groups are active in all towns and villages. There are sports clubs in Lagos and all the state capitals. Other national youth organizations include the National Association of Nigerian Students, the Ahmadyya Youth Association of Nigeria, and the Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria. National women's organizations include the Nigeria Association of University Women and the National Center for Women in Development.
Literary and art associations meet regularly in Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu, and other major cities. Nigerian Academy of Sciences promotes public interest and education in the sciences. The Constitutional Rights Project, founded in 1990, is a social action group. International organizations with national chapters include Amnesty International and the Red Cross.