The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) says it has facilitated the establishment of 24,000 youth-led agribusinesses in the Niger Delta under the Federal Government/IFAD Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) programme.
IFAD Country Director, Dede Ekoue, disclosed this on Tuesday during a meeting on Scaling Up Youth Agripreneurship in Nigeria for Food Systems Transformation in Abuja. The event is organized by the Federal Government, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and the LIFE-ND programme.
Ekoue said the achievement was made possible through structured apprenticeship, mentorship, and innovative support for youth and women. She noted that the federal government responded to the need for youth agripreneurship by scaling up and extending financing for the successful FGN/IFAD/NDDC-LIFE-ND programme.
She added that the recent launch of Nigeria’s Youth Mapping Report, ahead of the 2nd United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4), highlighted the contributions and innovations of over 6,000 young individuals across the food system.
“The model demonstrates youth engagement across food production, processing, climate-smart agriculture, and digital technology. Notably, over half of the surveyed youth are involved in agribusinesses, yet they continue to face challenges such as land access, financing, and market entry,” she said.
Ekoue explained that in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda and the National Agriculture Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP), the federal government is addressing these challenges through increased public-private partnerships, targeted investments in agro-entrepreneurship, and a commitment to evidence-based, youth-inclusive food system transformation strategies.
She said the LIFE-ND programme is anchored on five pillars: incubation; public-private producer partnerships; digital integration; inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities; and sustainability.
The director added that the project operates across multiple value chains, including crop production, livestock, aquaculture, and agro-processing in the Niger Delta, with support from the federal government, NDDC, and state governments.
Ekoue reiterated IFAD’s commitment to scaling up youth agro-entrepreneurship through the LIFE-ND programme and other initiatives, such as the Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones and the Value Chain Development Programme, noting that this is further supported through the grant-financed Agribusiness Hubs Programme.
She said the meeting aimed to deliberate on scaling up the proven LIFE-ND model for youth-driven transformation of Nigeria’s agrifood system.
“The forum provides a unique opportunity to leverage LIFE-ND’s successful experience, which integrates practical agri-entrepreneurship skills, finance, technology, and infrastructure. It also strengthens market connections and ensures youth leadership delivers greater results than piecemeal efforts,” Ekoue said.
She urged stakeholders to invest in youth entrepreneurship, agro-entrepreneurship capacity building, and inclusion of women and youth.
“These measures will scale up the LIFE-ND programme and model across the Niger Delta and Nigeria. Together, we can harness the energy and innovation of youth agripreneurs to build productive, inclusive, and sustainable agrifood systems. Together with youth agripreneurs, we can transform agriculture into a driver of prosperity and resilience,” she said.
