Federal government in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, and Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, have empowered over 3,500 youths in agriculture in Ondo State through the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises-Niger Delta project.
It was gathered that almost $7 million had been spent in providing the necessary support for the beneficiaries.
The National Project Coordinator, FG IFAD/LIFE-ND, Dr Abiodun Sanni made this known in Osi Community in Akure North Local Government Area on Thursday during an inspection visit to farms of the beneficiaries.
He recalled that the IFAD/LIFE-ND project started since 2019 and was targeted at training and empowering about 4,250 youths in agriculture within the space of six years. He expressed delight that the organisation had successfully empowered over 3,500 so far.
He said, “Basically in Ondo State, for now, the target is 4,250 beneficiaries. In terms of providing the required support, we are over 3,500 beneficiaries and we are aware that this project is still ongoing.
“Close to $7 million has been expended in the state in providing infrastructure and also supporting the incubatees (beneficiaries) in terms of capacity building and providing for them as agro- entrepreneurs.”
Speaking on the reason behind the inspection, the project coordinator explained that it was mainly to assess what the project had done so far and to give room for improvement so that the project would be able to achieve its aim and contribute to the wealth and rural economy of the state and the region at large.
He noted that youths have impressed them by demonstrating capacity in what they learnt during the apprenticeship and mentorship stage.
“This exercise is basically to access what the project has done within the last 12 months. We have a team of experts in various areas from the international funds, they came to see what we have done, identify where we have comparative strength and where they need to provide advice on how we need to do certain things better so that at the end of the day, the project will be able to achieve its aim and largely contribute to the wealth and rural economy of Ondo State and the region at large.
“I am quite impressed with what I have seen so far, it shows largely that the youths and beneficiaries of LIFE-ND project are ready to contribute substantially to food security within Ondo State, Niger Delta and Nigeria in general, and it also goes to indicate that LIFE-ND as a project has all what it takes to achieve its project development objectives.
“We have seen how youths have demonstrated capacity in what they have learnt during the apprenticeship and mentorship stage, and we are quite hopeful that these are potential super entrepreneurs in the future and will serve as a model for other youths to embrace agriculture and see it as a sustainable means of livelihood,” Sanni averred.
