The Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) has empowered no fewer than 1, 220 unemployed young men and women (incubatees) in various agricultural programmes in Delta.
The Tide reports that LIFE-ND project, is assisted by the Federal Government, Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the South -South region state governments.
The Delta Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Godfrey Enita, on yesterday in Ibusa, flagged off the distribution of agricultural items at the second series of establishing 300 LIFE-ND incubatees in poultry, fisheries, cassava and oil palm value chain in the state.
Enita lauded the sponsors and the Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration for keying into the LIFE-ND project among its numerous youths, women and girl child empowerment and development programmes established to grow the state economy, create jobs and income for participants.
According to Enita, the first series has graduated and established 320 incubatees in their own enterprises.
“I understand that the over 900 participating incubatees have successfully been trained in the second series and today is another testament of this novel concept of the incubation model.
“To the beneficiaries (incubatees), the development operation and success of your agribusiness investment depends on your attitude, passion, determination and the zeal to succeed.
“To the incubators (trainers), I must say that the position and status of a mentor no doubt placed enormous responsibilities and challenges on you because it calls for proactive actions in order to succeed,” Enita said.
Enita warned that a monitoring and supervision strategies had been put in place to ensure that the items were put to use for their purpose, adding that the essence was to enable them generate income and grow their enterprises.
On his part, the State Project Coordinator, Mr Collins Ashoro, said that the project which began in the state since 2020, had trained 1,220 incubatees in three batches.
He said that LIFE-ND project adopted the incubator (Trainer) and Incubatee (Trainee) model in the four priority commodities to train and equip the carefully selected beneficiaries from 100 communities in 10 local government areas of the state.
According to him, the first and second batches resulted in the graduation of 320 incubatees who have been established to own their enterprises in the four priority commodities.
“This third batch totalling 900 incubatees were selected across the participating communities in the state and have undergone orientation training on records keeping, agribusiness plan development, nutrition and financial inclusion and environment and climate change.
“Their capacity have equally been built in their various incubation centers on the rudiments of agricultural best practices in the enterprise they are into following well structure curriculum.
“Today, a total of 300 in the first instance out of the 900 will benefit from the project agricultural items that cuts across the various value chains in the priority commodities; poultry, fisheries, cassava and oil palm.”
Ashoro said that the LIFE-ND project was programmed to run for six years and possibly to 12 years cycle, had as its goal to transform rural economy to which rural population could drive prosperity and equal benefit at the end.
“It is also targeted at creating 4,250 direct beneficiaries of 50:50 ratio of male and females within the age bracket of 18 and 35 years and women headed household with children not older than 15 years,” he said.
In his remarks, LIFE-ND National Coordinator, Sani Abiodun, represented by his Technical Assistant, Mr Bumi Ogunleye, lauded the sponsors and the state government’s support that had ensured the level of progress achieved in Delta.
He, however, urged the beneficiaries to maximise the resources and ensure they utilised them for the purpose they were meant to grow their income and businesses, reduce poverty and ensure food security in the country.
Responding on behalf of beneficiaries, Mrs Joy Ossai and Mr Emmanuel Ugbeze, thanked the sponsors, the state government, the trainers and the facilitators of the project, while pledging their resolve to effectively utilise the items to develop their businesses.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the agricultural items worth millions of Naira were distributed to the 300 beneficiaries.
These included, 120 agrochemicals, 10 power tillers and accessories, poultry processing (de-feathering machine, generators, deep freezers), five haulage tricycles, oil palm marketing gallons, artisinal fishing wood boat and outboard engine, others.