The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has commenced the training of 364 young farmers for the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) project in Rivers State.
Speaking during the orientation training for 350 incubatees and 14 incubators in Port Harcourt, the NDDC Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr Winifred Madume, charged the beneficiaries to take up the challenge as future agribusiness entrepreneurs.
She stated that the Federal Government jointly funded the LIFE-ND project through a loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), with additional support from NDDC and counterpart funds from the participating state governments.
According to the Director, “The nine participating states are Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Edo, Delta, Ondo (funded with IFAD), and Akwa-Ibom, Imo, and Rivers States (funded by NDDC). Notably, the project’s headquarters is located here in Rivers State, bringing opportunities and challenges.
Madume said that the main objective of LIFE-ND was to foster income generation, food security, and job creation for rural youth and women through sustainable agribusiness development across the Niger Delta.
She noted: “This project aims to create 38,250 Agripreneurs using an incubation model. This model pairs you with experienced agribusiness entrepreneurs who will mentor you until you have the knowledge and skills to establish and run your successful enterprises.”
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