The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is set to empower more than 25,500 youths and women in agricultural entrepreneurship throughout the Niger Delta region.
According to The PUNCH, during a technical working session focused on Group Savings, Loan Management, and Recordkeeping held in Owerri, the Imo State capital, the National Project Coordinator, Dr. Abiodun Sanni, provided insights into the initiative.
This session is part of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Niger Delta project, which receives funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Represented by his Technical Assistant, Mr. Bunmi Ogunleye, Dr. Sanni noted that participants are coming together from all six states in the Niger Delta.
“The project has participating states from Niger Delta, which would access the $60 million loan funded by IFAD,” he explained.
He highlighted that the initiative consists of two phases over six years, with a total lifespan of 12 years, beginning with the first phase in 2019.
The six states initially involved in 2019 include Abia, Bayelsa, Ondo, Cross River, Edo, and Delta. Imo, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers states joined the project in 2024, expanding the initiative to nine states across the Niger Delta.
“The essence of the project is to empower youths and women in agriculture entrepreneurship for self-reliance and sustainability,” Sanni continued.
The empowerment effort will focus on selected agricultural commodities, including cassava, plantain, fish, rice, cocoa, oil palm, and poultry.
He added, “The empowerment will be across the value chain which are production, processing and building their capacity to market the products.”
The training aims to enhance participants’ skills in proper record-keeping and business documentation, enabling them to share this knowledge with others in their communities.
“The people being trained are part of the project. To participate in the project, one must be unemployed, underemployed, and must be living in the rural communities,” he said.
The National Financial Inclusion Specialist,.Obiageli Ekwelie, emphasized the hands-on nature of the training, stating, “The participants learn under an expert on the commodities for a period defined by the gestation period of the commodity.”
She explained that, upon completion of the training, participants will be equipped to manage their businesses successfully with the startup capital provided, even if it is limited.
“They will better appreciate the need to increase their culture of saving, be able to raise their credit rating from financial institutions and increase their ability to record the activities of their enterprises,” Ekwelie concluded.
This initiative marks a significant step toward fostering agricultural entrepreneurship in the Niger Delta, aiming to uplift communities and promote economic sustainability among its youth and women.
