The Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) generated N5 billion from agricultural activities in Cross River State between 2019 and 2025. State coordinator Innocent Ogbin disclosed the figure on Friday in Calabar during a media roundtable assessing the project's impact. The initiative, which targets youths, women, and vulnerable groups, focuses on cassava, rice, fish, and poultry value chains across production, processing, and marketing. Cassava output reached 6,900 metric tonnes, earning beneficiaries over N552 million, while rice production hit 7,289 metric tonnes, valued at N2.3 billion.
Poultry production yielded 658.68 metric tonnes, bringing in N923 million, and fish farming generated more than N1.2 billion. The project created 4,370 direct jobs, with 3,626 more expected under the second phase launched in 2025. A total of 630 agripreneurs were trained under an incubation model, while 2,996 operators received business development support. To address logistics, 27.7 kilometres of rural roads and culverts were constructed, and over 1,100 hectares of farmland were developed. More than 2,769 beneficiaries became active savers, and over 2,500 accessed N28 million in credit through the programme. The project also established 184 producer organisations, 178 enterprise groups, and 97 registered businesses.
Innocent Ogbin's report of N5 billion in returns from LIFE-ND over six years suggests that targeted agribusiness funding can yield measurable results in rural economies. With 4,370 jobs created and structured value chains in cassava, rice, fish, and poultry delivering clear revenues, the project demonstrates that long-term agricultural investment, not just handouts, can shift livelihoods. If the second phase scales access to credit and markets beyond infrastructure, it could reshape how rural development is delivered in the Niger Delta.
