FG Inaugurates LIFE-ND Steering Committee

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and rural Development (FMARD) has set up a project steering committee for the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise for the Nine Niger-Delta States (LIFE-ND) programme.

Under the project, the federal government identified priority value chains for the Niger Delta region. The ministry stated this in a statement issued in Abuja, recently.

According to the statement; “The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono and Minister of States for Agriculture, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri, has inaugurated the Project Steering Committee of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises for the Niger-Delta States (LIFE-ND).

“The LIFE-ND implementation arrangement, under the Federal Ministry of agriculture and rural development, has nine benefitting oil-producing states of Cross River, Rivers, Edo, Bayelsa, Ondo, Akwa

Ibom, Imo, Abia and Delta, in a six-year implementation period and another six years financing gap, making a total of 12 years project cycle.”

Among the top agricultural value chain identified includes cassava, plantain, rice, fish, cocoa, oil palm and poultry have the potential to contribute immensely to annual agricultural productivity, food security and value chains development.

However, LIFE-ND is one of the 10 on-going projects under the direct supervision of the

Project Coordinating Department (PCD).

This department has the mandate to coordinate, supervise, monitor, collate and document all activities of our FGN/ Development Partner funded projects under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

These Development partners include the World Bank, African Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development, French Development Agency.