Beneficiaries Count Gains Of IFAD, Federal Govt Intervention In Edo

Beneficiaries of the Federal Government Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises, Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) project in three Edo communities have said the project has positively impacted on them and their families.

The LIFE-ND is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in collaboration with the federal government and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC),

The beneficiaries recounted the progress they have made during the tour of the project sites by the IFAD/FG mission to the benefitting communities in Edo.

The mission inspected a 10 pens poultry facility constructed at Ugbineh in Ovia North East and two hybrid gas kiln processors in Uteh in Ikpoba Okha.

Other facilities visited were a cassava processing outlet and large hectares of cassava farm at Obiogba community in Orhionmwon local government area.

A visibly elated physically challenged woman, Mrs Grace Nwaozuzu, 37, and an incubator in the project, said that the intervention had lifted her family out of poverty.

Nwaozuzu, a former incubatee, who was trained and empowered on poultry farming, told the visitors that there were untapped potential in poultry farming in the state.

She said she started the business in 2022 after undergoing the training and had now expanded to stocking between 250 to 350 day-old-chicks in six circles of two months each in a year.

“Within two years, my family bought a car with which we use in making supplies to our customers.

“I have off takers like Amo and Uwa farms who comes here to buy off my poultry birds, so I have a ready market for my business,” she said.

At Uteh community fish clusters, Mrs Efe Ehanire, 40, a beneficiary of IFAD/LIFE-ND fish processors, thanked the mission for the empowerment and intervention.

Ehanire stated that the project has made fish processing very easy adding that, she has graduated from using charcoal and firewood to using hybrid gas kiln to process her fish and package same for sale.