The Cross River State Government has convened a high-level policy dialogue to improve market access for beneficiaries of the International Fund for Agricultural Development – Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta (IFAD LIFE-ND) project. The forum, held in Calabar, brought together producers, financiers, policymakers and private sector actors to address persistent marketing challenges affecting key commodities such as cassava, rice, oil palm, plantain, cocoa, poultry and aquaculture. Representing the state's Commissioner for Agriculture, Johnson Ebokpo, Dr Odey Ikongha, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development, described weak market linkages and poor access to off-takers as major constraints undermining farmers' productivity and profitability. He urged stakeholders to focus on logistics, pricing, standards and financing to strengthen connections between producers and buyers.
Dr Abiodun Sanni, National Coordinator of IFAD LIFE-ND, emphasized that poor market development had been identified as a critical gap, leading to the creation of a dedicated market enterprise component. Speaking through Mr Amosun Yinka, the National Enterprise Development Specialist, Sanni stressed that securing market access before production is vital for profitable and sustainable agribusiness. Mr Innocent Ogbin, the project's Coordinator in Cross River, noted the initiative's focus on empowering women and youths through agribusiness, but reiterated that marketing remains a significant challenge. He said the gathering of banks, off-takers, input suppliers and consultants was aimed at fostering collaboration and innovation. One beneficiary, Miriam Okon, an aquaculture trainee turned trainer, credited the project with creating employment and lifting many youths out of poverty, and called for its expansion to reach more rural women and youths. The event culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between project beneficiaries and off-takers to formalize market linkages.
The signing of an MoU between IFAD LIFE-ND beneficiaries and off-takers suggests progress, yet the need for such a formal push exposes how long market access has been neglected in the project's rollout. If beneficiaries still require structured interventions to connect with buyers, earlier claims of empowerment ring hollow. The state and federal governments must ensure these linkages translate to consistent income, not just ceremonial agreements.
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