The Federal Government/International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), says 1,420 persons have benefited from the project from September 2024 to date.
LIFE-ND funded by the Federal Government/IFAD is being implemented by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with counterpart funding from nine participating states in the Niger Delta region.
Mr Solomon Joe, State Project Coordinator, said this on the sidelines of a media tour of the project facilities on Sunday at Ibetu community in Mbo Local Government Area of the state.
Joe was represented by Mfon Umoeka, Knowledge Management and Communication Officer of the project.
He said the project targeted 4,250 beneficiaries drawn from 10 selected communities across 10 local government areas of the state.
The coordinator said 350 persons were reached in the first batch, 500 for the second batch and 750 others under the third batch, respectively.
“The project duration is six years. It was actually 12 years with the commencement in 2019 but we lost six years due to NDDC not releasing funds.
“We started in Sept. 13, 2025, and within this one year we have made remarkable achievements,” he said.
Dr Abiodun Sanni, National Project Coordinator, FG/IFAD-LIFE-ND, said the essence of the tour is to bring the media closer to appreciate the operations of the project.
Represented by Jerus Uvieghara, Knowledge Management and Communication Coordinator LIFE-ND, said that it enables them to have first hand information from some of the beneficiaries and better report project interventions and activities as implementation continues.
According to Sanni, the project is targeting individuals aged 18 to 35 years focusing on women headed households, youth and persons with disabilities.
He said the project was working on seven priority commodities value chains of rice, cassava, palm oil, cocoa, poultry and fishery.
Sanni said LIFE-ND’s overall goal is to realise a transformed rural economy in the Niger Delta from which the rural population could derive prosperity and equal benefit.
“The project development objective is to enhance income, food security and job creation for rural youth and women through agri-enterprise development on a sustainable basis in the region.
“It operates on a methodology of locating experienced agri-entrepreneurs within the rural areas
and clustering youths and women with particular interest in the enterprise of choice.
“It gives them the opportunity to get hands-on learning experience within the facility of the master trainer, otherwise referred to as the incubator. The trainee is referred to as incubatee,” he said.
