1,000 youths to benefit from LIFE-ND training in Bayelsa

More than  1,000 youths from Bayelsa are set to undergo empowerment training in agriculture in four commodity areas of poultry, aquaculture, cassava and plantain farming in order to be agripreneuners.

The youths are beneficiaries of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise in Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the state government.

Dr. Paniebi Ugo, the Bayelsa Project Coordinator of LIFE-ND, disclosed this during a one day orientation for the 2023 set of trainees in Yenagoa.

According to him, the 1,000 youths are selected from 100 communities across the eight Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Bayelsa, to be trained in four commodity areas.

The state coordinator added that the essence of the programme was to alleviate poverty in the Niger Delta region.

He explained that the training was in incubation template, where a trainee (incubatee) would be assigned to an established farm, owned by a trainer (incubator) to be trained and mentored in the particular commodity chosen by the incubatee.

Ugo stated that since inception three years ago,  over 3000 youths from Bayelsa had benefited from the programme and now owned their personal businesses.

He said other areas of achievements included training of incubatees on climate change and nutrition, planting of edible fruits trees, in addition to the distribution of IFAD supported agro inputs to farmers, to cushion the effect on the devastated flood.

“The LIFE-ND project has been onboard for three years, getting into middle of the programme, which is called midterm. Right now the orientation programme is ongoing across the state in four zones,” he said.

He added that during the  training, they would   be given a monthly stipend of N15,000 to enable them to move from where they are living to their training centres.

Ugo said the trainees would be provided with the needed inputs to start their own businesses in their respective  places.

On her part, the National Agribusiness Promotion Coordinator of LIFE-ND, Mrs Anthonia Esenwa, lauded the three years of the project existence.

She added that the achievements recorded so far, could  be measured in terms of the number of  trainees that now owned their businesses, as well as incubatees that had  become incubators.

One of the beneficiaries, Kikili Ibomo, an incubatee from Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA, expressed excitement for being  listed  amongst the beneficiaries, adding that he had been equipped through the orientation, that farming is a business.

Ibomo commended LIFE-ND initiative  and called for its sustenance for the benefit of other youths.

Another beneficiary, Emmanuel Ikaka, said it was a privilege to be a beneficiary, stating that the orientation programme had changed her mindset on how modern day agriculture was being practised.