2,180 youths benefits in IFAD/LIFE-ND Project in Ondo

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)/LIFE-ND Project has trained no fewer than 2,180 youths between 2020 and 2023.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the IFAD/LIFE-ND Project  cut across the three senatorial districts with the selected 10 Local Government Areas of Ondo State.

Prince Olawale Ademola, State Project Coordinator, (IFAD)/LIFE-ND Project, made this known during a media roundtable meeting held on Thursday in Akure.

Ademola who explained that the IFAD LIFE-ND Project engaged the youths on cocoa, poultry, fish and cassava enterprises, said that other communities in the 10 local government yet to be covered would benefit in the programme.

According to him, in 2020 to 2021, 260 incubatees benefited; 920 in 2022, while 1,000 benefited in this year, 2023.

Ademola explained that the objectives of the project was job creation, increased income and food security for the youths and women in the Niger Delta region, and to enhance sustainability through agribusiness development in the state.

He said that some of the beneficiaries (incubatees) had become incubators or trainers, while they were equally training others in their various communities.

The state project coordinator, stressed that majority of the incubatees had been empowered, saying the project also collaborated with SMEDAN to link up the young farmers financial institutions and  markets in Nigeria and beyond.

Ademola reiterated that aside the four commodity value chains of focus in the state, nutrition aspects were introduced to boost the nutritional value of rural communities.

“Through IFAD/ LIFE-ND Project, we don’t want to be food secure alone, we don’t want to just eat, but we want to eat healthy food and balance diet.

” LIFE-ND is also partnering with the Agricultural Development Project (ADP) to build the capacity of farmers in the state, especially the communities IFAD/ LIFE-ND is operating.

“We also link our beneficiaries with the financial institutions that will give them soft loan for them not get discouraged and packed up in long run,” he said.

Mr Michael Awoniyi, an incubatee from Ondo East Local Government Area of the state, appreciated the IFAD/LIFE-ND Project and state project coordinator for the gesture.

Awoniyi, who was a poultry farmer, said that in spite of the challenges in the country, he was able to become a successful farmer with the help of training received from IFAD/ LIFE-ND Project.

“I have five people working in my farm as at today and the least I am paying them is N35,000 and I trained many people also,” he said.

Mr Samuel Tinubu, an incubatee and fish famer, applauded the LIFE-ND Project and said that the project had changed his life from an incubatee (trainee) to incubator (trainer) and employer of labour.

Tinubu, who was from Akure North Local Government Area of the state, said he graduated in 2012 as a B.SC holder in geology, while he was empowered with the sum of N785,675.85 to start a fish farming after he was trained.

According to him, the livelihood improvement family enterprise is actually working for me because I am fully engaged and busy in my company.

“With the LIFE-ND Project, I think I am able to follow my passion because i have a processing company and I think nothing better than that.

“I have six people working under me where  I am also processing cassava to gari, pupuru, fufu and lafun,” he said.