The International Fund for Agricultural Development in collaboration with Federal Government and the Niger Delta Development Commission said no fewer than 26,000 people have been impacted by the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises project across the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
The organisation noted that the beneficiaries were mainly youths and women in the region
The Country’s Director of the organisation, Dede Ekoue, stated this on Saturday after the fourth supervision mission of the project in Akure, the Ondo State Capital.
Ekou, who was represented by the Project Technical Lead and Global Technical Specialist Rural Development and Institutions, Abdoulaye Gonde, said the international organisation was committed to empowering the most vital segments of the society
According to her, the project was providing the beneficiaries with access to finance, inputs, and markets, significantly enhancing their productivity in agriculture. The country director noted that the team witnessed various achievements recorded by the project on their field visits.
She said, “We are witnessing these achievements firsthand during our field visits. For instance, LIFE-ND interventions are leading to a remarkable increase in the laying rate of poultry, exceeding 90 per cent, broilers reaching 2.5 kg in just 42 days, catfish achieving table size in six months, and tomato yields exceeding 37 tons per hectare.
“Moreover, the innovative use of poultry manure as organic fertilizer is not only boosting crop yields but also reducing fish feeding costs and protecting our environment. As we look forward, we remain committed to scaling these successes and enhancing climate resilience. and ensuring sustainable agricultural practices. Together, we can continue to transform the agricultural landscape and empower the rural youth and women of Nigeria.”
Also speaking, the National Project Coordinator of the FGN/IFAD/ LIFE-ND, Abiodun Sanni, expressed delight that the fourth supervision mission had been a great success as being testified by the IFAD team from IFAD headquarters in Rome, Italy.
Sanni explained that the organisation had increased the number of beneficiaries in the country, adding that specifically, “4,250 people have benefitted in the state while 3,500 out of them have been empowered.”
He added that the beneficiaries were being supported holistically and being followed to address their challenges in whatever enterprises they had chosen in ensuring that there was wealth creation and rapid increase of employment opportunities through agriculture in Ondo State and the Niger Delta in general.
In his remarks, the Ondo State Coordinator of the FGN /IFAD/LIFE-NG project, Prince Olawale Ademola explained that the visit of the national coordinator and his team was about supervision, monitoring and evaluation of the project.
“The IFAD team in collaboration with the Federal Government team came to actually see some of the things we have implemented on the field in terms of empowerment in Ondo State. I know that the team is highly impressed. Though the team cannot get to all our beneficiaries across the state where they have visited so far, the project is successful.
“The project has so many facilities. The first phase of the project will end next year with ten local government areas whereby 10 communities have benefited from each local government area. So, the next phase will be extended to the remaining eight local government areas. The beneficiaries of this project can access loans from any available credit windows without any bottleneck. That has ensured a good sustainability for this project,” he stated.
Ademola further explained that beneficiaries of the project often received capacity training and got all the necessary support they desired to become farmers.