AS parts of efforts to ensure food security and job creation for rural youths and women through agric-enterprise development, over 1,000 youths from Ondo state will benefit from the International Fund for Agricultural Development Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in Niger Delta (IFAD/Life-ND) project
The Ondo state Coordinator of the programme, Prince Olawale Ademola who disclosed this during a training for the beneficiaries in Akure, Ondo state capital, said beneficiaries were picked from ten local government areas in the state.
According to him, about 260 youths were trained in four different enterprises in 2020 while 920 were trained, empowered and were able to set up their businesses as entrepreneures in 2022.
He said the Niger Delta region, International Fund for Agricultural Development Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in Niger Delta (IFAD/Life-ND) project will continue to empower the beneficiaries while they will be monitored and supported after their graduation from the programme.
He explained that the project was put in place by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in collaboration with International Fund for Agricultural Development (|FAD) and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“The Project is in response to the limited readily available options for “disadvantaged’ (youth and women) in the rural and suburban communities to improve their means of livelihood.
“It is to help them to live decent lives and to promote community-based, on-farm and off-farm business activities along key agricultural value chain as a mechanism for job and wealth creation amongst unemployed youths and women headed households.
“Now, we are bringing 1,000 beneficiaries on board as incubatee, they will be trained, empowered and they will start doing their businesses, they will also be mentored, so that they can equally bring in other youths in the society”.
He said the essence of the orientation is to educate the beneficiaries about IFAD/LIFE-ND and what they are coming to acquire in the project.
He said the beneficiaries would be trained in fish farming, poultry farming, cocoa business and cassava business urging them to get it right in order to be independent and be empowered with a means of livelihood and become an employer of labour in the society.
He said that some of the sustainability efforts being put in place to support the beneficiaries as constant workshop on productivity and financial management, capacity development for staff and beneficiaries, establishment of enterprise groups and ensuring each of the beneficiaries has functional bank account.
In his keynote address, Ondo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Hon. Olayato Aribo, stated that the essence of the project is to build the youths and women to encourage them to go in to farming and make them entrepreneurs.
He, however, advised the beneficiaries to take the project seriously and start a life for themselves saying the project targeted youth (18-35 years) and women in 10 communities in 10 local government areas of state.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then