Federal Government Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has launched an agricultural project called Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), as a way to diversify the economy.
Federal Government launched LIFE-ND yesterday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in partnership with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
In his speech, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, disclosed that the policy and institutional framework of the LIFE-ND programme was dated back from 2010 when Federal Government recognized the need to diversify the export earnings and alter its economic growth strategy.
Nanono stated that the project was anchored in vision 2020, which emphasizes on a road map to a diversified private sector-led economy, agricultural growth, and employment creation.
The minister, who was represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Umar, said the development objective of the LIFE-ND project was to enhance income, food security and job creation for rural youth and women through agri-enterprise development of Niger Delta region.
He said: ” The project has two main components: enhancement of economic opportunities for rural youths and women, and project management and coordination, which must be effectively and efficiently implemented by the project team with support of all stakeholders to achieve its desired objective.
“The Green Alternative for agriculture and strategic framework for youth employment and job creation under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, is the basis under which the LIFE-ND project was created”, he stated.
Nanono noted: “The Federal Government of Nigeria has identified top agricultural commodities in the Niger Delta region to implement this project. These are cassava, plantain, rice, fish, cocoa oil palm and poultry.
” These commodities are economically driven by small and medium enterprises with poor access to land, poor access to finance to finance/credit and few reliable market outlets, as being major challenges for youths and women inclusion”.
According to the minister, LIFE-ND project has both the first phase of six years, with parallel finance from NDDC and an additional six years to be financed in the future by IFAD with no other additional support.
He appealed to NDDC not to withhold its responsibility as an advisory board in the area of technical support to LIFE-ND project management team.
He added that Federal Government, through the National A Committee would provide its statutory mandate in approvals and oversight functions of the project.
Speaking at the unveiling of the project, the NDDC Acting Managing Director, Joi Nunieh, said that the agricultural programme was designed to improve the livelihood of the Niger Deltans, especially youths and women.
Nunieh, who was represented by the Commission’s Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, George Ero, stated that the project was in agreement with the Federal Government’s agricultural policy and the strategic framework for youth employment and job creation.
According to Nunieh, the LIFE-ND project, to be implemented in the nine Niger Delta states, was anchored on the strategic framework that addressed the large and growing number of restless unemployed youths, particularly in rural areas.
She said: “LIFE-ND is planned with a financing gap of six years. It has both the first phase of six years, with parallel finance from NDDC to the tune of US$30million, and an additional six years to be financed in the future by other partners or additional IFAD loan.
“This project is meant for the Niger Delta region and the essence of this launch is to create more awareness about the project and to make the people realize how much the government of the daycares about their welfare in the area of job creation, food security and improved standard of living. There is no better time than now for a project like this to be launched. The region needs to take it more seriously and harness maximally the expected benefits of this project”.
The nine benefitting oil-producing states included: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers.
