The Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises–Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) project, jointly funded by the Federal Government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has unveiled a fresh intervention expected to uplift no fewer than 14,800 residents across Ondo State over the next three years.
State Project Coordinator, Dr Ademola Olawale, disclosed this yesterday at a media parley organised by the LIFE-ND coordinating office in Akure.
Olawale explained that the additional financing phase, which kicked off after the conclusion of the first tranche that ran from 2020 to October 2025, would run till 2028, with a renewed focus on boosting value chains in cocoa, fishery, poultry and cassava.
According to him, the earlier implementation produced five batches of beneficiaries, totalling over 4,000 trained and supported youths and farmers across the state.
He noted that participants under the new phase would undergo intensive three-month capacity building, after which they would receive start-up support in equipment or partial cash grants.
“For this phase, 5,800 will be enrolled as incubatees, while 9,000 others will benefit through Business Development Services,” Olawale said.
He added that the BDS window, newly introduced to complement existing mentoring through farmer-incubators, would allow registered individual firms and organisations to support and enhance beneficiaries’ enterprises.
The coordinator lauded the Ondo State Government for its continued contributions through security support, office facilities and counterpart funding.
In her remarks, Mrs Bolanle Akinyede, the State Officer for Rural Institutions, Gender and Youth, said the programme prioritises youths aged 18 to 35 and ensures equitable spread.
She said 50 per cent of slots would go to women, while 5 per cent are reserved for Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs).
“The goal is to ensure wider inclusion in the AF phase and consolidate gains from phase one,” she said.
A beneficiary, Daniel Omoniyi, from Igoba, in Akure North, hailed the initiative for exposing young people to the business opportunities in agriculture.
“I used to see farming as tradition, not enterprise, until I joined LIFE-ND,” he said.