The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and the International Fund for Agriculture, IFAD are beating a new track to create thousands of employment opportunities in the Niger Delta region with the introduction of a sixty million dollars agricultural programme in the region.
The partnership between NDDC and IFAD when fully operational in-line with the mandate of the commission will enhance the socio economic development of the Niger Delta region by reducing youth unemployment problems which remains a challenge to government.
Managing Director of the NDDC, Mr. Nsima Ekere, while receiving IFAD Officials on a visit to the management at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, said the commission will sustain and strengthen its partnership with the United Nations Agency as part of its effort to create wealth and transform the region.
The Managing Director who was represented by the NDDC Executive Director of Projects, Mr. Samuel Adjogbe explained that the commission already has a baseline study that will help it produce a workable design for the new IFAD programme.
He hailed the new partnership with IFAD as a game changer for the economic transformation of the Niger Delta region and noted the need to accelerate the diversification of Nigeria's economy through agriculture.
According to Ekere, “It is a thing of joy that IFAD is partnering with us to achieve this goal. The baseline study we have done will be very useful when we get to the implementation stage. Oil and gas has given us the take-off platform but now we must diversify. We have always identified agriculture as the way forward for Nigeria and we will support IFAD to integrate rural dwellers into agricultural entrepreneurship”.
IFAD Rome representative and Country Director in Nigeria, Rich Pitrine said the new programme which will run for seven years is aimed at developing the youth and women.
According to him, “one of the problems in the Niger Delta region is lack of opportunities, which he described as an unfortunate disease for the region. With proactive investment plan, positive phenomenal changes will be achieved for the people of the region. Our programme would broaden the economic horizon of budding entrepreneurs and set the stage for the emergence of sustainable system that would engage youths in enterprise based jobs”, Pitrine averred.
Pitrine noted that the United Nations Agency had invested with the NDDC in the past on community based natural resource management programme on wealth creation with measurable success. “We are coming to invest in your vision and invest jointly with you to realize an outcome which will create employment for you in this region in particular”, he said.
NDDC Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. Marcel Eshiogu said the Commission and IFAD have been collaborating since 2005 to improve the lives of people in the region.
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