International Funds for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the Federal Government, in conjunction with Ondo Government, on Thursday, commenced training of 920 people on various agricultural enterprises.
Speaking at the orientation training in Akure, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Olayato Aribo, said that the purpose of the training was to make the beneficiaries employers of labour.
Aribo added that the training would also promote food security and improve the livelihood of the beneficiaries.
According to him, the participants will be adequately monitored and guided to make success in their chosen areas of interest.
“The Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) is a project that directly supports Nigeria’s agricultural policy and the strategic framework for youth empowerment, engagement and job creation,” he said.
The commissioner further said that the scheme had been implemented in the nine Niger-Delta states.
“In Ondo, the project has been implemented in 10 local government areas, based on pre-defined criteria by IFAD,” he said.
Aribo expressed appreciation to Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for his unflinching support to the project and other agricultural projects in the state.
He, therefore, urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously and harness the opportunity that the project could offer, in their own interest and that of the society.
Speaking at the occasion, the State Project Coordinator, IFAD/LIFE-ND, Mr Ademola Olawale, said that the objective of the project was to create jobs and ensure food sufficiency across the nine states in the Niger Delta region.
Olawale, who said that the project cut across the agricultural enterprises value chain, added that it would support the beneficiaries in the areas of cocoa production, poultry, cassava and fisheries.
According to him, people from 10 local government areas in the state are benefitting from the project.
The state coordinator said that the participants were considered to be qualified for the project after writing application letters and passing through necessary interviews.
He promised that the beneficiaries would be well-empowered so that they could stand on their own and be employers of labour.
Olawale said that there was a monitoring system that would ensure that the beneficiaries were well-guided to succeed and profit in their respective chosen enterprises.
