To fasten immediate implementation of Additional Financing, AF, of International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises, Niger Delta, LIFE-ND, has begun the process of selecting new beneficiaries in the six IFAD-sponsored states in Niger Delta region.
The Additional Financing which is a salutary evidence of excellent performance of the Project in the first phase of six years, commenced in Abia State on October 1, 2025.
The AF implementation exercise in its three years tenure, is expected to accommodate 6,062 beneficiaries across each IFAD-sponsored state of the region.
The LIFE-ND State Project Coordinator, Uchenna Rowland Onyeizu, Ph.D, CEnv, revealed that the substitution of oil palm processing with agro fishery enterprise in Abia State, was stemmed out of the indifference of beneficiaries over the years, to the enterprise.
"From recent assessments we did, we observed that they talk more of fishery than oil palm, so we substitute oil palm processing with the fishery enterprise, " he said.
Giving details of the selection modalities, Dr Onyeizu explained that the process was community-based, consenting the selection process to community representatives among whom are, youth and women leaders, Commodities' Apex Development Association, CADA, resident incubator, (trainers), Local Government Area Desk Officers, the power to confirm indigeneship, age, unemployed and underemployed and the character of the potential incubatees, (beneficiaries), to fit into agribusiness enterprises.
He also confirmed the process of ''desk review" of the handwritten applications for informed analysis and selection of qualified beneficiaries, leading to capacity building of successful applicants in business orientation and financial literacy.
He explained that the mode of empowerment would be in form of inputs and financial provisions.
"Our empowerment has to do with inputs and financial provisions to take care of expenses to run the micro business of the agrobusinesses they were empowered on", he concluded.
Mrs Ngozi Ohaechesi, National Coordinator,Admin and Logistics, who was in Abia State to supervise the strict compliance of the selection exercise said that the turnout was"great and peaceful".
According to Mrsi Ohaechesi,
"The exercise was great and peaceful. There was great turnout and I could see enthusiasm in the potential incubatees. So far so good", she said.
The Abia LIFE-ND State Agribusiness Promotion Officer, Chukwuekezie Godwin, confirmed that the "overwhelming turnout" was an indication of touching the life of the rural youths, women-headed households, physically challenged persons, through job creation in their communities.
"There was an overwhelming turnout. It meant that LIFE-ND has made input and created a lot of job opportunities to youths, leading to the upsurge in population beyond what we intended to select" he said.
LIFE-ND Project began its operations in 2020, with communities reportedly showing apathy in accepting the project, owing to the failure of previous similar projects in the Niger Delta region.
However, the indifference has overtime turned into massive acceptance, an indication of positive impact made across 100 communities in 10 selected Local Government Areas of the state.
