Nigerian Government Empowers 25,500 Youths and Women in Agriculture Entrepreneurship
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is taking significant strides towards empowering over 25,500 youths and women in agriculture entrepreneurship across the Niger Delta states. This ambitious initiative, under the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Niger Delta project, is being funded by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD).
According to Dr. Abiodun Sanni, the National Project Coordinator, the project aims to empower youths and women in agriculture entrepreneurship for self-reliance and sustainability. The empowerment process involves training participants in various commodities, including cassava, plantain, fish, rice, cocoa, oil palm, and poultry, across the value chain of production, processing, and building their capacity to market products.
The training is designed to strengthen and build the capacity of selected few on proper record-keeping and documentation in business, with the goal of cascading the training to others. To be eligible for the project, participants must be unemployed, underemployed, and residing in rural communities.
Obiageli Ekwelie, the National Financial Inclusion Specialist, explained that participants learn under an expert on the commodities for a period defined by the gestation period of the commodity. By the end of the training, they will learn to do business successfully with a startup capital, which is usually not enough, and better appreciate the need to increase their culture of saving, raise their credit rating from financial institutions, and record the activities of their enterprises.
This initiative marks a significant step towards boosting the economic potential of the region, empowering the youth and women to take charge of their economic futures, and fostering sustainable development in the Niger Delta states.