Abuja: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has announced the successful rehabilitation of 42 kilometers of farm access roads under the Additional Financing (AF) phase of the LIFE-ND project. Mrs. Dede Ekoue, the IFAD Country Director, made this disclosure during the inception workshop of the 6th Federal Government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and IFAD Joint Supervision Mission of LIFE-ND held in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Ekoue elaborated on the project’s achievements, which include the development of 254 hectares of land for agricultural production, the rehabilitation of 15 solar-powered water supply schemes, and the completion of 20 facilities for market, production, and processing purposes. The project also reported the planting of 3,508 agroforestry and economic trees, alongside the expansion of digital services catering to over 9,600 users who access AI-powered advisory through the FarmerChat platform.
Ekoue highlighted that weekly climate and nutrition messages are delivered to beneficiaries via SMS, enhancing digital extension services. She emphasized the significance of the mission, noting it as a milestone in the collaboration between the Federal Government, NDDC, and IFAD aimed at improving rural livelihoods, particularly for the youth and women in the Niger Delta region. The LIFE-ND initiative is designed to boost income, food security, and job creation through sustainable agribusiness development for rural youth and women.
The IFAD representative stressed that the project has demonstrated the potential of rural youth, when equipped with skills, productive assets, finance, markets, technology, and partnerships, to build viable enterprises and significantly contribute to Nigeria’s food system. She cited evidence from the 5th Supervision Mission, which showed that LIFE-ND reached 16,539 beneficiary households in 2025, achieving over 90% of the annual target with strong participation from women and young people.
Ekoue further detailed the project’s support for 966 incubators and the creation of 23,751 new enterprises, showcasing the success of its incubation model in promoting youth employment and rural enterprise development. She reiterated the project’s ongoing relevance to rural enterprise development, youth employment, and women’s economic empowerment in the Niger Delta. Since its inception, LIFE-ND has strengthened its incubator-incubatee model and partnerships with SMEs and rural institutions, expanding support across various sectors, including production, processing, marketing, financial inclusion, nutrition, climate resilience, and digital advisory services.
As the Additional Financing phase reaches a critical acceleration point, Ekoue emphasized the need for consolidating first-phase achievements, fast-tracking disbursement and beneficiary support, and strengthening rural institutions to ensure sustainable agribusinesses and lasting livelihood gains. She outlined six priorities for the forthcoming implementation period, such as accelerating AF targets for new incubatees and beneficiaries, improving the timely release of funds, and expanding access to affordable finance and markets.
Ekoue also called for stronger off-taker arrangements and the scaling of digital extension, climate information, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and market intelligence to enhance the model for future replication and possible second phase. She noted that as of August, the AF phase had reached 27,222 beneficiaries, including regular incubatees and business development services beneficiaries, with the first phase exceeding its target of incubatees.
The 6th Supervision Mission, Ekoue stated, is a strategic opportunity to assess implementation progress, review previous recommendations, and identify best practices for potential scale-up. She urged the mission team to engage with beneficiaries to gauge the project’s impact on creating profitable and sustainable enterprises, improving young people’s livelihoods, and increasing women’s control over productive resources and economic opportunities.
Ekoue concluded by emphasizing the importance of strengthening partnerships and sustainability, acknowledging that government and development financing alone are insufficient for achieving the necessary scale. She advocated for connecting LIFE-ND agripreneurs to viable markets, financial institutions, private-sector actors, and sustainable producer institutions to enhance the project’s impact.