The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) Nigeria Delta Development Agency (NDDC) International Fund for Agriculture Development assisted (IFAD) and the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises – Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) Project, are initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria aimed at addressing unemployment among Youth's and Women in the Niger Delta Region.
The Delta State Co-ordinator LIFE-ND Mr Collins Ashoro stated this while speaking to Journalist at Ondo State the Venue of the event.
He said over the past five years, under the technical supervision of FGN and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the project has generated employment in the agricultural sector using the incubation model.
He noted that the incubation model involves training unemployed and under-emoloyed youths and women who are interested in agriculture under the mentorships of experienced agribusiness experts whose areas of specialization varies in the agricultural commodity value chains. Which includes cassava, rice, plantain, oil palm, aquaculture, and poultry, covering the entire value chain that includes from production to processing and marketing.
The beneficiaries of the programme who are mainly youths and women including the physically challenged, particularly appreciated the FG, NDDC, IFAD and LIFE-ND for their support to own their various agricultural establishments, just as they solicited for more.
The beneficiaries including Mrs. Flora Oluwar Mr. Lawrence Akande, Mrs. Charity Anyanwu and Mrs. Omolola Egunjobi, equally appealed to the stakeholders to help address the challenges they are facing on their farms to further sustain the lofty programme and ensure food sufficiency in the state. Some of the challenges, according to the farmers, include insecurity, climate change, high cost of agric inputs and other products, bad roads, high transportation cost, among others.
According to Ashoro, a joint supervision mission exercise is currently on going in Ondo State.
He highlighted that the Biannual Supervision Mission is a joint effort by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and IFAD. The mission aims to review the project’s performance across various commodities and offer technical support. Additionally, it provides other stakeholders the chance to observe the project's progress in achieving its goals and meeting the empowerment target of 25,500 youths and women in the states of Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Ondo.
He noted that the supervision team includes highly experienced consultants in the agricultural sector, led by Mrs. Adeline Muheebwa, a specialist in gender and agriculture.
He explained that the key objective of the joint supervision exercise is to assess the project's performance through field data collection and detailed professional desk analysis conducted by top development experts.
The team visited beneficiaries engaged in various agribusiness ventures, including cassava, cocoa, aquaculture, and poultry, covering the entire agricultural value chain. The aim is to reduce unemployment, build the capacity of beneficiaries, and boost the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He said the 4th Joint Biannual Supervision Mission scheduled from 25 June to July 19 , 2024. in Ondo State has commenced.
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