As part of its efforts to boost food security and economic development, The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has launched a large-scale empowerment program, targeting 25,500 youths and women in the Niger Delta states, to equip them with the skills and resources needed to succeed in agriculture entrepreneurship across the Nigeria Delta States.
While speaking to News Men at a recent Technical session in Owerri, Imo State, The National Project Coordinator, Dr.Abiodun Sanni, revealed that the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is sponsoring the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Niger Delta project aimed at Group Savings and Loan and Record/Bookkeeping.
He also noted that the participants were selected from all six states comprising the Nigeria Delta region.
The Technical Assistant Bunmi Ogunleye who represented the National Project Coordinator, Mr Sanni, revealed that states in the Niger Delta region are set to benefit from a $60 million loan provided by IFAD, supporting a 12-year project with two phases of six years each, with the first phase having begun in 2019.
In 2019,The initial phase of the project commenced in Abia, Bayelsa, Ondo, Cross River, Edo, and Delta states. The program later extended to Imo, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers in 2024, covering all nine Niger Delta states.
“The primary objective of this project is to cultivate self-reliance and sustainability among youths and women by providing them with agricultural entrepreneurship training and support.”
The empowerment of the participating youths and women is being done across selected commodities of cassava, plantain, fish, rice, cocoa, oil palm, and poultry.”
Sanni explained that the empowerment initiative will encompass the entire agricultural value chain, including production, processing, and marketing capacity building. Additionally, select beneficiaries will receive specialized training on business record keeping and documentation, enabling them to share knowledge with peers.
The National Financial Inclusion Specialist Obiageli Ekwelie noted that the expert-led training is provided to participants for a period aligned with the commodity’s gestation period.
“By the end of the training, participants will be equipped to overcome startup capital constraints and achieve business success. They will understand the importance of saving, boost their credit ratings, and effectively record business transactions.”
Eniola Jolaoso.