The joint mission of Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises-Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has described training in Abia as successful.
The commendation followed a three-day inspection of incubation centres across 10 local government areas (LGAs) in the state.
The mission inspected facilities and interviewed incubators (trainers) and incubatees (trainees) on successes and challenges of training in rice, fish, cassava, egg marketing and homestead gardening.
LIFE-ND National Project Coordinator, Dr Abiodun Sanni, said the mission was impressed with great intelligence displayed by the incubatees.
Sanni, represented by the National Financial Inclusion Specialist, Empress Ekwelie, said some had been at the incubation centres for only a month, yet they had learnt so much.
He said: “I learnt so much from them on rice multiplication and rice farming.
“The cassava processing centres were also impressive.
“We have seen over 4,000 youths in Abia transformed.
“Their livelihoods have improved and their incomes have been enhanced.”
Sanni said LIFE-ND aimed to enhance economic opportunities for rural youths and women.
He disclosed that some incubators had become champions across African countries.
He said the only challenge was communities expecting more support.
Sanni urged them to take ownership and ensure facilities kept working and generating income.
He thanked the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), NDDC and state governments for funding and counterpart support that had yielded tremendous results.
Similarly, Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, NDDC, Dr Ehimhen Eigbe, represented by Mr Brown Norbert, said the experience was fantastic.
He noted that the resources invested in Abia in the ncubatee and incubator model were yielding positive results.
“This model was created to reach the poorest of the poor – people who do not have somebody to speak on their behalf.
“The incubatees responded to technical questions on fish management and cassava processing.
“The incubators have passed the necessary knowledge to them,” Eigbe said.
He said the trainees would become entrepreneurs and mentor others, adding that the project should continue to reach vulnerable people.
The State Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of LIFE-ND, Mr Ogbonna Azubuike, said NDDC partners came on an oversight visit in collaboration with national and state offices.
He said the state project office gave the mission the opportunity to assess its implementation achievements across its incubation centres and various communities.
He described it as a very successful assignment.
Azubuike said: “They had a one-on-one interface with our trainees.
“They saw how knowledgeable these incubatees have been impacted by the incubators.
“We have been in this business for over six years, since 2020.
“This is not the first time stakeholders have come to assess our activities.”
He said the team visited different facilities including Amamba Uzuakoli rice processing cluster in Bende LGA.
Azubuike said the facility was recently handed over to the community and found equipment very functional.
He said the incubators told the team that the community would harvest in three weeks and use the centre to process rice.
LIFE-ND is funded by IFAD in collaboration with the Federal Government, NDDC and the state government.
It seeks to improve income, food security and employment among rural youths and women through sustainable agribusiness development across the Niger Delta.
