From a former domestic worker to a poultry business owner employing four people; from a former trainee to an agribusiness entrepreneur mentoring others; and from rural farmers to beneficiaries gaining access to processing facilities and new markets, the impact of Governor Bassey Edet Otu’s People First agenda is becoming evident in Cross River State through the IFAD-assisted Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise – Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) Project.
As part of a statewide assessment tour of agricultural interventions under the People First Administration of His Excellency, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Andiambey Ebokpo, also led an assessment of selected IFAD-assisted LIFE-ND projects across the State. The exercise provided an opportunity to examine the progress and impact of the interventions, interact with beneficiaries and assess how the investments are improving rural livelihoods.
At MAMI Farms in Ikot Nakanda, Akpabuyo, the team encountered the inspiring story of Miss Miriam Asuquo Okon, a former LIFE-ND incubatee who has grown into an enterprise owner and incubator, currently mentoring seven new beneficiaries. Her integrated farm comprises over 3,000 table-size fish, rabbitry, poultry and piggery, with the piggery component providing employment for a veterinarian and five attendants.
Her journey reflects the Project’s objective of equipping beneficiaries not just with skills, but with the capacity to establish businesses, create jobs and empower others.
At Uruandung, Akpabuyo, young incubatees are turning skills into income through a LIFE-ND-supported greenhouse. Producing red, yellow, orange and green bell peppers, the facility has recorded sales of over 77 kilogrammes of produce. Supported by a solar-powered borehole, the project demonstrates the opportunities that practical training and productive infrastructure can create for young people.
In Yakurr, the team interacted with Miss Becky Moses Ettah, another former incubatee who has established a 2,500-bird poultry enterprise and employs four persons. She attributed her transformation from domestic work to business ownership to the practical training, mentorship and support received through LIFE-ND.
The assessment also covered the Ekori Beach poultry production cluster, which serves 51 primary beneficiaries and provides a transition platform for graduated incubatees to strengthen their skills and prepare for independent businesses. The cluster has an annual production capacity of 15,000 table birds.
Beyond individual enterprises, LIFE-ND is supporting community infrastructure and agricultural value addition. At Iyamoyong in Obubra, the team inspected 10 lock-up stores, a solar-powered water facility and sanitation facilities designed to improve storage, trading conditions and community welfare.
At Ofumbongha I in Obubra and Mbenkpen in Ogoja, community rice processing mills are providing farmers with opportunities to process, polish and package their rice instead of relying solely on the sale of raw paddy. The facilities have greatly reduced post-harvest losses, while strengthening local value chains and improving farmers’ earnings.
In Yala, the 32-hectare cassava production cluster at Ijegu provides an organised farming platform for 32 LIFE-ND incubatees. For Mrs Odey Blessing Ogeyi, a widow raising three children, the intervention represents renewed hope and an opportunity to improve her family’s livelihood. The accompanying cassava processing facility, awaiting installation of equipment, is expected to expand opportunities for value addition when operational.
The Project’s inclusion of persons with disabilities was also highlighted by Mr Ekpe John Mark, who expressed appreciation for the opportunity to participate in its enterprise-support programme.
Guiding the tour, State Project Coordinator, Dr Innocent M. Ogbin, explained that LIFE-ND combines practical training, incubation, mentorship and business support to help beneficiaries establish viable enterprises and become employers.
On his part, Commissioner Ebokpo reiterated the people -centered leadership of Gov. Bassey Otu which is expanding economic opportunities for rural communities and enable more women, young people and vulnerable groups to build sustainable livelihoods and contribute to the State’s development. Commissioner applauded the IFAD team, led by Dr Ogbin, for its resolute commitment to delivering life transforming interventions with tangible and impactful benefits, noting that the true measure of agricultural transformation lies in improved lives, thriving businesses, jobs created and families empowered.
