The Ondo State Government, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) Project, has enrolled 612 new incubatees for its agricultural empowerment programme.
Over 4,563 youths and women in the state have already been trained and empowered in various agricultural value chains — including poultry, fishery, cocoa, cassava production, processing, and marketing, as well as vegetable homestead gardening — under the first phase of the project, which lasted five years.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony of the orientation programme for the new participants at Sunbeth Hotel, Akure, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Engr. Leye Akinola, described the initiative as a major step in transforming the state’s agricultural landscape and creating sustainable job opportunities.
Akinola explained that the newly introduced phase, tagged “Additional Financing,” is aimed at consolidating the gains of the first phase and expanding its reach.
“Under this Additional Financing phase, the project will provide apprenticeships for 13,050 youths and women across the six IFAD-funded states.
Specifically, Ondo State will accommodate 2,175 beneficiaries who, upon graduation, will establish profitable enterprises, secure decent livelihoods, and eventually serve as incubators for others,” he said.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Foluke Tunde-Daramola, encouraged the new incubatees to take full advantage of the programme, stressing that the agricultural sector offers limitless opportunities for innovation and wealth creation.
In his welcome address, the State Project Coordinator, Dr. Olawale Ademola, clarified that the Additional Financing phase is a new three-year phase distinct from the previous one, which concluded in March.
He noted that further expansion would depend on the success achieved during this stage.
Also speaking, Dr. Clement Uwem, National Coordinator for Institution, Youth and Gender Mainstreaming, who represented the National Project Coordinator, Engr. Sanni Abiodun, PhD, emphasized that the training was designed to prepare participants for serious agribusiness ventures.
“They are being trained to develop business plans, manage groups, understand their environments, and adopt the incubator model — a key innovation in agribusiness development in Nigeria,” Uwem said.
The orientation session concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the distribution of participants to various incubation centres for hands-on training and mentorship.
Some of the newly enrolled incubatees expressed gratitude to IFAD, the Federal Government, and the Ondo State Government for the opportunity, pledging to leverage the training to become self-employed and contribute to food security and economic growth.