The federal government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have described the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise Project for the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) as successful and changing the lives of women and youths in the region.
IFAD’s Country Director, Mrs Dede Ekoue, while speaking at the wrap-up of the 4th LIFE-ND Supervision Mission to Ondo State, said the project was changing the rural economies of participating states.
She said, “We have seen the positive impact of LIFE-ND on the lives of rural youths and women in Ondo State, and data reflect similar impressive results in all the participating states.
“The impressive results are evident across all the value chains of the project’s intervention, ranging from improved agricultural practices to the establishment of thriving small businesses.”
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Mrs Ekoue further said 40 mini poultry production cluster facilities and eight poultry clusters were constructed, 71 poultry buildings rehabilitated for graduate incubatees, 15 fishery production cluster facilities and 92 earthen ponds with a capacity of 184,000 fish constructed/rehabilitated and put into use, while 592 collapsible tarpaulin fish pond tanks were constructed for 250 incubatees.
She said others included 40 processing facilities, 15 drying slabs for quality rice, 14 market store facilities, 59 water borehole facilities in six states to improve sanitation and hygiene within the incubation centres and community farms and environment. 16 rainwater harvesters provided, seven small-scale irrigation sites developed, 30 irrigation tools provided to 30 women for dry season vegetable production, among others.
The National Project Coordinator of LIFE-ND, Dr Abiodun Sanni, said the project was creating wealth for many youths and women in the region, adding that the findings of the supervision mission to Ondo State reflected the huge achievements the project had made in all the states.
The Director, Project Coordinating Unit of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Alhaji Bukar Musa, said the project had lived up to expectation.
He said, “I can confidently say that this mission has helped us to get all our perceived successes of the project being validated by physical evidence.”
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