LIFE-ND Secures $32 Million in Additional Funding as Loan Disbursement Reaches 95%

Nigeria's Livelihood Improvement and Family Enterprises Project in the Niger Delta has secured an additional $32 million from the International Fund for Agricultural Development, with its original loan 95% disbursed.

The new financing and a three-year extension increase the project's total budget from $97.8 million to $129.8 million. The announcement came as the federal government, the Niger Delta Development Commission and IFAD began the sixth joint supervision mission, a month-long review intended to assess implementation, address emerging challenges and draw lessons for a proposed second phase.

Launched in February 2019, LIFE-ND targets rural households, women and young agripreneurs across the Niger Delta. The project responds to limited access to productive assets, finance, markets, technology, skills and sustainable employment in communities that depend heavily on agriculture and related activities.

Rather than relying only on conventional training, the programme uses an enterprise-incubator model. Established agribusinesses mentor and coach younger people, giving apprentices practical experience inside functioning businesses as they develop the skills to start or expand their own enterprises. The project aims to develop 900 mature enterprises that will incubate 38,250 apprentices. Six IFAD-funded states account for 25,500 targeted beneficiaries, while three NDDC-supported states account for another 12,750.

LIFE-ND also is expanding digital and artificial intelligence-powered agricultural advisory services. Its latest assessment says 74% of participating households increased agricultural production, while 74% of rural enterprises reported higher profits.