The Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises-Niger Delta, LIFE-ND project has onboarded 1,020 youths and women in Abia for training in agri-enterprises.

The LIFE-ND is a federal government’s project funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development with support from Niger Delta Development Commission.

The programme is designed to train rural youths and women as agripreneurs across participating Niger Delta states.

The Knowledge Management and Communication Coordinator of LIFE-ND, Dr Jerus Uvieghara, said at the orientation of the participants in Umuahia, on Thursday, that the training was for the Batch 2 of its Additional Financing.

Mr Uvieghara said that the project was designed to equip youths and women with agri-entrepreneurship skills for self-reliance. He said that LIFE-ND focuses on seven commodities, including cassava, rice, plantain, oil palm, cocoa, fisheries and poultry.

According to him, the Niger Delta states of Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Imo and Rivers prioritise four commodities based on comparative advantage.

Mr Uvieghara said that the project deployed an incubation model, where experienced agri-entrepreneurs provide hands-on training. He disclosed that the orientation would help beneficiaries understand the project and how to benefit maximally.

He said that after the orientation, beneficiaries would be deployed to trainers’ enterprises for apprenticeship and mentorship.

Mr Uvieghara said the current batch increased to 1,020 from a little above 600 in the first batch. He revealed that the increase followed additional financing granted in 2025 due to the project’s success.

He said that President Bola Tinubu approved the continuation to lift more people out of poverty through agriculture.

The acting project coordinator in the state, Abia, Azubuike Azubuike, said the selection was done in 10 local government areas and 100 communities.

Mr Azubuike said that successful candidates were invited to meet the requirements before posting to incubators (trainers) for training. He said that the orientation was going on in three centres across Abia.

He explained that the training covered production, processing and services in cassava, rice, poultry, fish and marketing.

Mr Azubuike said that the project targeted unemployed and underemployed persons aged 18 and above, women and persons with disabilities. He also said that the training duration ranged from two to nine months depending on the enterprise.

He said that the beneficiaries would graduate and undergo monitoring before final empowerment and support.

The Abia Agri-Business promotion officer, Godwin Chukwuekezie, said the beneficiaries signed MoU with incubators and LIFE-ND to clarify roles.

Mr Chukwuekezie said that monitoring teams would visit centres regularly to ensure attendance and compliance.

The administration and logistics officer, Wisdom Ukonu, said that the beneficiaries expressed excitement and gratitude for the life-changing opportunity. He attributed the large turnout to the project’s visibility and success stories.

(NAN)