The Abia Project Coordinating Office of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises for Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) says it is poised to empower about 3,000 beneficiaries in agri-enterprises with additional financing.
The State Project Coordinator, Dr Uchenna Onyeizu, disclosed this during a working session cum orientation for batch one of additional financing regular incubatees (trainees) and incubators (trainers) in Umuahia.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that LIFE-ND, which is being funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by the Federal Government and the Niger Delta Development Commission, has been working to empower small farmers and promote agribusiness in Abia communities.
Onyeizu said that the beneficiaries including the youths, women-headed households and persons with disabilities would be trained and empowered in four commodities including poultry, fishery, rice and cassava, in the next three years.
He disclosed that LIFE-ND had made a lot of impact in the state and had empowered about 4,250 beneficiaries in agri-enterprises during the first phase of the project.
Onyeizu explained that IFAD decided to extend the project with the additional financing, having been impressed with the project’s success story during the first phase.
The coordinator said that 630 beneficiaries for the batch one of the additional financing were selected from 47 communities in Ohafia, Bende, Obingwa, Aba South, Isialangwa South and Umuahia South LGAs
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Cliff Agbaeze, promised that the ministry would continue to play its pivotal role in providing policy direction, coordination, and enabling environment that would make the project possible, in line with Gov. Alex Otti’s vision for the state.
He urged the the beneficiaries to commit to the goals of the project by building businesses that are bankable, sustainable, and socially responsible.
Agbaeze said that LIFE-ND is not just a programme but a promise that the talents and ambitions of young agripreneurs would be matched with practical skills, mentorship, and market pathways.
According to him, it. is a commitment to build viable, family-centered enterprises that create jobs, strengthen food security, and keep wealth circulating within our communities.
He said “As participants drawn across our LGAs you are not just trainees; you are builders of Abia’s agricultural future
“Treat your farms and enterprises as classrooms, where every challenge teaches, and every success multiplies.
“If you stay focused, the skills and networks you gain here will open doors beyond this training.”
The National Project Coordinator, LIFE-ND, Dr Abiodun Sanni, who was represented by the National Admin Officer, Mrs Ngozi Ohaechesi, urged the beneficiaries to approach the training with seriousness and commitment.
He informed them that they were expected to repay the loan given to them by the Federal Government, to a designated account, within the three years of the programme.
“You will be given stipends during your apprenticeship and you are going to be empowered also at the end of it so that you can start your own agribusiness,” he said.
Mr Godwin Chukwuukezie, the State Agribusiness Promotion Officer, LIFE-ND, said that the orientation was an opportunity for the new beneficiaries to know the organisation as well as get a feel of what agribusiness is like.
He said that various people from different specialist areas, like climate change, smart agriculture, mainstreaming and others were brought together to train the participants.
Chukwuekezie said that they were expected to resume at their various incubation centres for the apprenticeship after signing the Memorandum of Understanding with the organisation.
In an interview, a beneficiary, Miss Ijeoma Kalu expressed gratitude to LIFE-ND for the opportunity, saying that she had been praying to be part of a programme like that.
“I had always wanted to go into fishery because it is a lucrative enterprise, but I didn’t know how to go about it until this opportunity came,” she said.
(NAN)
