The National Project Coordinator (NPC) of The Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Project for the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), Dr Abiodun Sani, has said  the project has reached 15,980 farmers and created 12,000 jobs in the six participating states in the Niger Delta Region.
Addressing journalists at the end of a media tour of some of the projects being executed by LIFE-ND, Dr Sani explained that LIFE-ND project is an initiative of the Federal Government in collaboration with International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and the State Governments of the Niger Delta regions.
Sani said the project is aimed at ensuring a sustainable agricultural development and improved income, addition to job creation within the region among the youths and women.
He said since inception, the project has been able to inject over $20 million to the rural economy, which is substantively close to N16 billion and largely as a project.
The six participating states are Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Ondo.
The remaining three states of Imo, Rivers and Akwa Ibom have not commenced implementation because the NDDC has not released its own counterpart fund for the project to commence.
“We have been able to create over 12,000 jobs and ensure that largely we have over 15,960 enterprises running across the six participating states of the region, and as a project, we have been able to also ensure that reasonably, over 80 percent of our beneficiaries have access to improved natural diet.
“The project has made key performance of it especially in the area of ensuring that our people have access to climate friendly infrastructure and we have been able to ensure that our farmers have access to improved technological practice, over 80 percent are adopting the best agricultural practices especially in terms of farming techniques within the entire value chain of the seven commodities we are intervening.
“So, largely, the project has impacted on the lives of the youth and women of the Niger-Delta region.
“we are working on 25,500 because that 32,500 is for the nine states but eventually, three states are not participating because the NDDC has not been able to meet its own financial commitment, so out of 25,500, we have 15,960 beneficiaries now and over 12,000 jobs have been created and are fully active, and our youths are happy”, he said.
Dr. Sani continued that the project has hit over the 60 percent mark as they are approaching the 5th year of implementation. The LIFE-ND NPC expressed optimism that within the next year, the project will be able to achieve its 100 percent mark.
The National Co-ordinator said the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, which is the lead implementing agency, has approached the management of NDDC through the Ministry of Niger Delta affairs to ensure that NDDC meets up with its counter part funds contribution.