Nigeria – International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is ready to empower 25,550 women and youth entrepreneurs, under the Federal Government/IFAD- Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in Niger-Delta (FG/IFAD-LIFE-ND).
Country Director, IFAD Nigeria, Ms Dede Ekoue, said this at the ongoing 3rd Joint Supervision Mission workshop on LIFE-ND project, on Friday in Abuja.
According to her, the project is aimed at promoting agribusiness development and rural enterprise among youth and women in a sustainable manner in the Niger- Delta region in seven value chains of cassava, rice, plantain, cocoa, fishery, palm oil and poultry.
She said that the project was targeted at nine states, including Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Imo, Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Ondo as well as Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Ekoue also said that the project was expected to fund three states of Rivers, Imo and Akwa Ibom.
“The programme aims to promote 25,550 youths and women entrepreneurs in IFAD-funded states by 2025,” she said, adding that it would bring innovation that was in its incubation model.
According to the IFAD country coordinator, the project would give young people and women the opportunity to learn from seasoned agricultural entrepreneurs about how to establish and run an agricultural enterprise that would generate income for both them and others.
“In 2021, LIFE–ND, through incubation model, empowered no fewer than 2,000 young and women with skills, knowledge and network needed to set up their business.
“The project has been improving the ecosystem for enhanced productivity and resilience of agribusiness through investment in infrastructures production and processing clusters,” she said.
Ekoue said that the project was also important for government due to its contributions to National Agriculture Technology Innovation Policy (NATIP) and the National Pathways for Food System Transformation.
According to her, the overall vision of LIFE-ND is a rural economy in which all population can derive prosperity and equal benefit, stressing “the aim is to empower women and youths in their income, to boost food security and foster job creation.
“The recent floods have washed away many of the progress made by the project,” she said.
Ekuoe promised that the supervision team would meet with all the important beneficiaries, including agribusiness coaches and incubators, state and local governments, and national and international development partners to determine the most creative and effective ways to handle the difficulties.
She claims that the goal of the proposal is to take advantage of the opportunities already present in order to protect and accelerate the advancements made through LIFE-ND.
Additionally, Mrs. Stella Manureh of NDDC blamed bureaucratic procedure for the delay in the commission’s payment of its counterpart amount of $30 million US.
“NDDC is still committed to continuously partnering with development organisations like IFAD in bringing the best to the citizens of the region because the project is in line with its mandate of developing the region,’’ she said.
According to Dr. Peter Kush, FMARD’s Deputy Director and acting Programme Coordinating Unit (PCU), NDDC’s failure to fulfill its counterpart financing promise put the project, which began three years ago and was supported by IFAD and NDDC, put it in jeopardy.
He listed inflation and flooding as additional problems preventing LIFE-ND from progressing.
