Women and youths in Niger Delta region have commenced training in a scheme aimed to reduce youth unemployment, enhance food security, and empower rural families across the Niger Delta through sustainable agriculture and agribusiness.

Over 1,050 individuals from the region are currently undergoing training facilitated by the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Project in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND).

LIFE-ND is funded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Federal Government through a partnership known as the FG/IFAD/NDDC/LIFE-ND project.

Meanwhile, to monitor the thorough execution of the project, the National Project Coordinating Office of the NDDC embarked on an inspection tour across several communities to assess the progress of the initiative’s first batch of 350, while another 500 participants have been profiled to begin. These are early batches of the 4,250 participants from the state.

The visit, which covered 12 communities across five local government areas, revealed skills, innovation, and business readiness among the 350 incubatees who have been trained under the project in areas such as aquaculture and poultry.

Speaking during the visit to the centres, the Rivers State Project Coordinator, Loveday Itatat, expressed satisfaction with the implementation so far.

According to Itatat, the purpose of the inspection was to provide evidence that the initiative is yielding tangible results.

He said, “We’ve reached 66 communities in just six to eight months. The first batch involved 350 incubatees and 25 incubators. We have now selected the second batch and are currently profiling them.

“Hopefully, results will be out by the first week of July, and we are targeting an additional 500 youths”.

Also speaking, Assistant Director at NDDC and the organisation’s representative on the project, Stella Manureh, described the visit as a technical oversight function.

At Defaka-Ama and Ozu-ochie in Opobo/Nkoro LGA, the State Agric Promotions Officer, Jemina Horsfall, confirmed that the apprenticeship stage has been completed for both short and long-term incubatees.

“In Ozu-ochie, we trained 14 incubatees in poultry, and in Defaka-ama, 10 were trained in aquaculture and fish marketing. Some have already received funds to begin their mentorship phase,” she said.

The trainees, known as incubatees on the programme, expressed their gratitude to NDDC for the training, with high hopes of establishing their own.

Mary Ishmael from Ogu Bolo, in the fish production department, described how the programme gave her the skills to be able to manage a fish pond in the future.

Chief Executive Officer of Agiotedem Farms and incubator in Bolo Town, whose centre serves as an incubation site, lauded the trainees’ dedication.

The programme targeted 4,250 beneficiaries in each of the participating states of Akwa Ibom, Imo, and Rivers over a six-year implementation window of the first phase.

Each state has its priority commodities: Cassava, Oil Palm, Poultry, and Aquaculture for Akwa Ibom; Cassava, Rice, Poultry, and Aquaculture for Imo; and Cassava, Plantain, Poultry, and Aquaculture for Rivers. These are implemented across the entire agricultural value chain, encompassing production, processing, and marketing.