BENIN CITY – The Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta, LIFE-ND, Project has called for stronger collaboration with the Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to expand economic opportunities for women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups across the state.
The call was made by the Edo State Project Coordinator of LIFE-ND, Mr. John Omoruyi, during a courtesy and advocacy visit by the project team to the Ministry in Benin City.
Omoruyi explained that the donor-funded initiative, supported by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is aimed at reducing youth unemployment and unrest by promoting sustainable livelihoods through agribusiness.
He disclosed that since Edo State keyed into the programme, more than 5,000 rural youths and women across 10 Local Government Areas and 100 communities have benefited from training and financial support.
According to him, beneficiaries undergo two to three months of apprenticeship and incubation with established agribusiness operators in value chains including cassava, rice, poultry and fisheries, after which they receive seed capital to establish their own businesses in their communities.
Omoruyi said LIFE-ND was particularly interested in reaching more Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and Female-Headed Households (FHHs) and requested the Ministry’s support in identifying qualified beneficiaries through its database.
Responding on behalf of the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Eugenia Abdallah, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Joy Ihensekhien, welcomed the initiative and commended LIFE-ND for its community-based and inclusive approach.
She reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to its mandate of protecting, empowering and improving the welfare of women, children, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
Hon Abdallah assured the delegation of the Ministry’s readiness to collaborate with LIFE-ND to ensure that vulnerable women and persons with disabilities, particularly those in rural communities, benefit from the programme’s training, stipends, mentorship and start-up support.
Also speaking, the Edo State Chairperson of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Comrade Ann Ojugo, expressed enthusiasm over the initiative and assured the LIFE-ND team of the willingness of women with disabilities across the state to participate.
Ojugo stressed that the programme aligns with the principles of community-based rehabilitation, which encourage persons with disabilities to develop sustainable livelihoods within their communities rather than being relocated.
In his response, Omoruyi highlighted the success of previous beneficiaries, citing Grace Isuzoo, a physically challenged and poultry farmer who progressed from an apprentice to a successful agribusiness entrepreneur, as an example of the transformative impact of the programme.
