The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria has initiated the Livelihood Improvement Family for the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) project, aimed at empowering youths through agribusinesses across six states in Nigeria.
According to Engr. Sanni Abiodun, the national project coordinator, a total of 12,000 youths will benefit from the project in Cross River, Abia, Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, and Ondo states. The project focuses on agribusiness and aims to uplift beneficiaries out of poverty, enabling them to become self-reliant.
The orientation exercise for the 5th batch of incubatees was recently flagged off in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State. Abiodun emphasized the project’s key objectives, including achieving food security, job creation, nutrition enhancement, climate change resilience, financial inclusiveness, and income generation.
He commended the participants for qualifying for Batch Five of the IFAD LIFE-ND project and urged them to demonstrate hard work, discipline, loyalty, and commitment to duty. Representatives from different senatorial districts echoed similar sentiments, encouraging beneficiaries to adhere to operational guidelines and leverage the opportunity to become successful entrepreneurs in the agricultural value chain.
Cross River State Commissioner for Agriculture, Crops, and Irrigation Development, Johnson Ebokpo Jr., reiterated the state government’s commitment to partnering with organizations to alleviate poverty, particularly through initiatives focused on the agricultural value chain.
Through the IFAD LIFE-ND project, thousands of youths across the Niger Delta region have the opportunity to acquire skills, receive training, and establish sustainable agribusiness ventures, contributing to economic development, food security, and poverty reduction in their communities.
