By Daniel Agbor
The International Fund for Agricultural Development, Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Project in the Niger Delta (IFAD LIFE-ND) says it has raised 1,250 agribusiness champions in each of the nine Niger Delta states.
The National Project Coordinator- Dr Abiodun Sanni who was represented by Ms Empress Ekwelie, National Financial Inclusion Specialist of the project, disclosed this on Monday in Cross River during a Financial Action Learning System (FALS) and Gender Action Learning System (GALS) in Nutrition workshop in Ikot-Edem-Ndarake, community.
She said the workshop focused on helping rural farmers, traders, and agribusiness owners improve savings culture, record keeping, and access to credit facilities.
She explained that the programme also trained beneficiaries on digital financial services, intentional savings, and responsible investments for sustainable business growth.
According to her, the FGN/NDDC/IFAD LIFE-ND which commenced in February 2019, has trained over 32,000 incubatees across the nine Niger Delta states under its agribusiness incubation programme.
“Each state has no fewer than 1,250 outstanding participants recognised as champions for excelling in agribusiness development. Some of them have attended international conferences to improve their enterprise knowledge and expand professional networks,” she said
She explained that the project monitored beneficiaries through state officers, local government coordinators, and regular field supervision visits.
The National Financial Inclusion Specialist added that the programme linked farmers to banks, insurance providers, and off-takers to improve access to finance and market opportunities.
Also speaking, Mrs Chioma Obasi, National Nutrition Mainstreaming Specialist, said the project integrated nutrition into agribusiness development to improve household wellbeing.
Obasi noted that the initiative promoted healthy living through nutrition clubs, home gardens, integrated homestead food production, and bio-fortified crops.
She explained that the FGN/NDDC/IFAD LIFE-ND used food-based approaches to combat malnutrition and improve household nutrition among rural families.
According to her, “biofortified crops, including orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and vitamin-rich cassava, were introduced to improve immunity and child development.
“Through our GALS initiative, we aim to promote family collaboration and improved nutrition practices in rural households,” she said.
She stated that participants were expected to transfer the knowledge gained to their households and communities for wider social impact.
On his part, Mr Efiom Okon, one of the beneficiaries of the FGN/NDDC/ IFAD-LIFE ND project in fish production, described the programme as transformative for youths and rural entrepreneurs.
Okon said they had been equipped with practical agribusiness skills while encouraging self-reliance among unemployed youths in rural communities.
Miss Emmanuella Etim, a beneficiary in the poultry value chain, said the training improved her understanding of financial management and nutrition practices. She commended FGN/NDDC/IFAD LIFE-ND for empowering youths and women, urging the organisation to sustain its intervention programmes across communities in the NIger Delta.
Photo News
