How LIFE-ND Project impacts Abia State in six years

The six-year old $60m Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises for the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) project has made significant strides in its first phase, ending by March 2025.

Reports have it that the project has positively impacted infrastructure, businesses, and people across 100 communities in 10 Local Councils in the state.

The initiative, which is a collaboration between the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Federal Government, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and the nine Niger Delta states, was aimed at transforming the rural economy of the Niger Delta to drive prosperity.

The project’s primary goal is to enhance income, food security, and job creation for rural youth and women through sustainable agricultural enterprise development.

According to the Abia State Coordinator, Dr Uchenna Rowland Onyeizu, 4,390 rural farmers, aged between 18-35, women-headed households and people living with disabilities were empowered during this first phase of the project.

These 4,390 surpassed the project’s target of 4,250 rural farmer beneficiaries who were trained in four selected agro-commodity value chains: rice, poultry production, cassava production, and oil palm processing.

In addition to the direct beneficiaries, the project indirectly benefited hundreds more, including local businesses, artisans, and fabricators.

During the launch of the LIFE-ND Agribusiness Innovative Forum (LAbiF) in Umuahia, Onyeizu described LAbiF as an exit strategy to ensure the project’s long-term sustainability. “The forum aims to keep the project alive in the minds of stakeholders and beneficiaries, with the possibility of extending the project into a second phase.”

He also expressed gratitude to the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, for approving the payment of the state’s counterpart funding, which is critical for the project’s sustainability, especially after its exit.

Abia State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbaeze, commended LIFE-ND for empowering young entrepreneurs, creating jobs, and boosting the agricultural value adding that LAbiF marks a new chapter for fostering collaboration and innovation within the agricultural sector.

The LIFE-ND National Coordinator, Sanni Abiodun, stressed that LAbiF would equip young farmers and agri-entrepreneurs to lead the sector, creating an ecosystem that will continue to provide opportunities and improve livelihoods long after the project ends.

He stressed that sustainability requires collaboration from all actors in the value chain, including farmers, suppliers, processors, financial institutions, and policymakers.

The LAbiF launch gathered key stakeholders from agribusiness, banking, insurance, and input supply sectors. Panel discussions and individual commitments focused on sustaining the project’s momentum.

To ensure practical implementation, LIFE-ND’s Rural Institutions, Youth, and Gender Coordinator, Dr. Clement Uwem, conducted an election for the state LAbiF executives in which a nine-member executives with Mr. Clement Ikoro emerged as the State Chairman.

The Executive Director of the National Root Crops Research Institute in Umudike, Professor Chiedozie Egesi, commended LIFE-ND as a beacon of hope, using its incubator model to empower communities in the production, processing, and marketing of selected commodities.