LABIF to meet stakeholders ahead national summit
Stakeholders from the six Niger Delta states have recommitted their support to the Life-ND Agribusiness Innovative Forum (LABiF), programme to effect sustainable agribusiness development and rural transformation of the Niger Delta region.
The pledge was made at a three-day stakeholders meeting of LABiF, which presented an opportunity to reposition LABiF as a leader in agribusiness innovation, resilience-building, demonstrate collective achievements and foster partnerships, that can expand its influence and attract the resources needed to scale its impact.
It also had additional agendum to plan a national agribusiness summit that will provide a platform to share the success stories, best practices, and lessons learned from the LIFE- ND project.
The LABiF initiative, which is an off-shoot of the original Life-ND project, is collaboration between the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Federal Government of Nigeria, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and the nine Niger Delta states.
With the objective, being the transformation of the rural economy of the Niger Delta region, to drive prosperity, it’s primary goal is to enhance income, food security, and job creation for the rural youth and women through sustainable agricultural enterprise development.
The Project’s National Coordinator, Dr. Sanni Abiodun, while speaking during the summit, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said the meeting was a significant step forward in achieving LABiF’s vision of fostering inclusive growth, resilience, and economic empowerment in the Niger Delta.
“Our purpose is to ensure that LABiF operates as a unified platform, supporting agri-enterprises and linking smallholder farmers with key actors along value chains and providing an opportunity to address critical issues, build consensus, and take concrete steps toward our common objectives.”
In her keynote address, the Project National Agribusiness Coordinator, Mrs Antonia Esenwa, said LABiF has supported over 25,000 agribusiness operators and integrated more than 11,000 youths and women into profitable enterprises, describing the achievements as testaments to the resilience and ingenuity of the rural communities.
According to her, one of the summit’s primary tasks was to harmonise LABiF’s operations across the six states wherein the LIFE-ND project is being implemented for now, based on its four-tier structure – community/cluster, local council, state, and national levels.
These structures, she stated, serve as a foundation for inclusive and coordinated agribusiness development with each level playing a crucial role in providing representation, implementing decisions, and fostering partnerships.
“The harmonisation process will address discrepancies in operational methods, strengthen communication channels, and establish a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities across all levels among others.
“By unifying our efforts, we can achieve among others, consistent implementation of capacity-building programmes and farmer support, efficient flow of innovations and market information across states, greater collective bargaining power to negotiate better market access and prices for our beneficiaries.”
The National Project Coordinator therefore tasked the summit stakeholders to do the needful that will impact the success of the planned National Agribusiness Summit, an event he stated, will showcase LABiF’s achievements and amplify its impact at the national and international levels.
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