LIFE ND presents funding opportunities for Niger Delta communities

The Coordinators of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Project Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) held a media round table at the  Golden Tulip Evergreen in Port Harcourt on Friday February 10,  to highlight on the numerous successes the project had accomplished and also let the public know with the help of the media the Agricultural opportunities presented by the government.

The LIFE ND Initiative is a Federal Government Empowerment scheme sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, with the aim to alleviate Poverty, support Agro-entrepreneurs and curb restiveness within the Niger-delta region.

The Representative of the LIFE-ND project who is the National Project Coordinator Engr. Abiodun Fatai Sanni, while addressing newsmen said that the reason for the media roundtable was to create more awareness to the general public on what the project is all about and also outline the achievements of the project since its inception in 2020.

Sanni said the project targets were; to service 10 LGAs in each state and 10 communities in each LGA and the criteria for funding this communities were based on Poverty level, youth unemployment, community involvement, conflict free nature, level of agricultural activities and private sector involvement.

He noted that the LIFE-ND had seven priority commodities which are cassava, rice, oil Palm, fishery, poultry, cocoa and plantain to which it helped facilitate in these rural areas. While on the subject he stated the LIFE-ND since its launch has helped over 5000 beneficiaries and supported over 700 enterprises in all seven commodity areas.

He  further said that the components of the project included support to agri – business incubation, support to production and marketing infrastructure, support to financial inclusion for agric – enterprises and strengthening of rural institutions in six states funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, and three states funded by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

The states funded by IFAD, according to the National Coordinator, include Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Ondo, while the three states funded by the NDDC are Akwa Ibom, Imo and Rivers.

Sanni also hinted that the primary target of the project included the unemployed and under – employed youth aged 18-35; women – headed households with children under the age of 15, just as he added that the project is designed to be implemented over a period of 12 years – divided into two phases of six years each.

The first phase according to him, was declared effective and entered into force on 21 February 2019, while the completion date is 31 March, 2025, and financial closure scheduled for 30 September, 2025.

On the allocation of funding, he disclosed that 60 million dollars came from IFAD; 3.76 million dollars from states;4.91million dollars from the Federal Government, while 30 milion dollars was sourced from the NDDC.

The Coordinator also stated that the seven priority commodities being promoted in the initiative included poultry, fishery, cocoa, cassava, rice, oil palm and plantain, while the implemenation structure has the Federal Ministry of Agricultural Development as lead implementation agency; NDDC as implementation partner, while the State Ministry of Agriculture coordinates and supervises field implementation at the state level.

He clarified that, as at 2022 ending, the project provided income generating opportunities for rural women and youths; decent jobs through agri – business; financial inclusion and promotion of public/ private/producers partnership; promoted land development initiative of government with increased access to land by landless women and youth; provided feeder farm roads, production/processing facilities; nutrition, environmental and climate change mainstreaming as well as supporting the objectives of food security, household income and job creation.