The Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise in the Niger Delta region, LIFE-ND, Abia State, through the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Niger Delta Development Commissions(NDDC), and the Federal Government of Nigeria(FGN), today flag off its policy engagement with Abia Agricultural Development Programmes(ADP) and other stakeholders to seek support for its beneficiaries.
At an interactive section with staff of ADP, in Umuahia, the State Project Cordinator of Life-ND in Abia, Dr. Uchenna Onyeizu, explained that there will be a lot of organisational support as the project moved into communities, it will be impossible not to engage Abia ADP, to guide our direct beneficiaries that comprises the youths who are between the age of 18 to 35 years, women headed households and the physically challenged persons to achieve their goal in agribusiness.
The project partners with an established agribusiness owners(Incubators) who will in turn help us train those we have identified as incubatees chosen from the 100 communities in 10 local government areas of the state we are currently working on.
Onyeizu, further point out areas of comparative advantage the Life-ND has engaged in the Niger Delta region to include rice production, processing and marketing, cassava production, processing and marketing, poultry production, processing and marketing and oil palm processing and marketing.
This synergy, he maintained will improve rural agricultural benefits and the two organisation shall mutually benefits each other in terms of expertise and knowledge transfer.
In his response, the Programme Manager Abia ADP, Chief Israel Amanze, states that the presence of Abia Life-ND in Abia as a sister agency will boost agribusinesses in the state.
According to him, “Life-ND interventions in agribusiness is beginning to yield fruit that is helping families and Abia ADP has the reservoir of knowledge needed to drive it”
“Abia ADP staff are ready to render their services if you carry us along and I assure you that this partnership will lead to food sufficiency and it’s security in the state ” Amanze said.
Meanwhile, the National Project Cordinator, Engineer Sani Abiodun, said that Life-ND is aware of the indispensable roles of ADP in agribusiness production hence the call for partnership.
Abiodun, who was represented by the National Rural Cordinator Life-ND, Dr. Clement Uwem, said that agricultural production cannot succeed in Nigeria without engaging the support of ADP.
Uwem, expressed that the partnership they are looking forward are based on support and collaboration in the area of gender education, climate education and nutrition education with regards to poultry, cassava, rice and oil palm productions and processing.
Again this engagement is to know many areas ADP can gives us their support and we will follow it up to achieve our goal.
However, Uwem laments that the Nigeria government has not given the extension workers the needed push they need, adding that if they do, ADP would become the only agency to regulate agric productions in the country.
