International Fund For Agricultural Development (IFAD)- Expression Of Interest To Be An Incubator For The LIFE-ND Project

DEADLINE: 20TH JANUARY, 2023
INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT (IFAD)
ONDO STATE GOVERNMENT
LIVELIHOOD IMPROVEMENT FAMILY ENTERPRISE – NIGER DELTA
ONDO STATE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
ONDO ADP PREMISES, AKURE, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA
(FGN/NDDC/IFAD-ASSISTED LIFE-ND PROJECT)
TEL: 08033944643,
EMAIL: ondolifend@yahoo.com
IFAD-ASSISTED LIVELIHOOD IMPROVEMENT FAMILY ENTERPRISE – NIGER DELTA (LIFE-ND) PROJECT
ONDO STATE PROJECT COORDINATION OFFICE (SPCO)
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST TO BE AN INCUBATOR FOR THE LIFE-ND PROJECT
REF NO: LIFE-ND/FGN/IFAD/ODS/LIFE/643

(1.0)  INTRODUCTION
The Federal Government of Nigeria has received financing from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) toward the implementation of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises – Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) Project. This project is aimed at enhancing income, job creation and food security through Agribusiness enterprise development in a sustainable manner for the Niger Delta region. LIFE-ND is using the incubator model as an entry point for the project.

Accordingly, the Ondo State Project Coordinating Office of LIFE-ND invites reputable owners of Agribusiness enterprises with proven competence and experience to submit expression of interest to be incubators to mentor potential incubatees/apprentices in their agribusiness and become catalyst for enterprise establishment by incubatees including the main source for primary job creation

(2.0) THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE

The project objective is to enhance income, food security and job creation for rural youth and women through agri-enterprise development on sustainable basis using the incubation model. The achievement of the project objective at the end of the project life will be measured by the following indicators;

(i) at least 25,500 direct beneficiaries of youth and women agri-enterprises directly strengthened or created;

(ii) 50 percent increase in volume of produce by direct beneficiaries;

(iii) 50 percent increase in volume of marketed produce by direct beneficiaries;

(iv) 25 percent value addition is realized through processed produce/product;

(v) 50 percent increase in profit is realized by direct beneficiaries engaged in agri-enterprise;

(vi) 80 percent of direct beneficiaries (20,400) have increased their food security, increased their assets by at least 50 percent and are practicing improved product handling and marketing; (vii) 50 percent of rural institutions promoting youth based profitable agri-enterprises are supported and strengthened;

(viii) Beneficiaries able to access at least 24,000ha of land for agribusiness and

(ix) 10,000 beneficiaries are using improved technologies.

The primary target groups are 25,500 youth’s aged 18 to 35 years and women-headed households with children below 15 years old as incubatees/apprentices that will come out of the incubation model with their own profitable agri-enterprises and decent jobs, and eventually serve as incubators themselves.

The secondary target groups are 600 established and potential enterprise incubators who will be identified on the basis of their involvement in market linkage activities; adoption of out-grower model; experience in incubation of new enterprises; technical, financial, managerial and infrastructure capacity to provide enterprise incubation services to incubates/apprentices.

(3.0) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

(1) Ongoing business operations in any of the specific value chains prioritized for Ondo State namely (i) Cassava (ii) Cocoa/Oil Palm (iii) Fisheries (iv) Livestock.

(2) Type of agribusiness include any of production, processing, marketing in any of the commodities listed in (1) above.

(3) Evidence of linkage from the business operation to higher value and higher volume off-takers.

(4) Evidence of linkage from the business operation to reliable service and input suppliers including financial institutions.

(5) Physical premises for the business are within a location in proximity to a reliable all weather road; in or within the first phase of selected communities/ LGA of Ondo State (state location of Business with a brief description of how to access the business premises).

(6) Demonstrated strong growth in profitability over the previous two years with  annual sales revenue from the business of at least N5.4million.

(7) Evidence of annual revenue generated by the business.

(8) Financial, Technical infrastructural (land, machinery, etc.) and managerial capacity in the subject business so as to incubate at least 10 incubatees/apprentices per cycle.

(9) Must have a registered business name with the Corporate Affairs Commission (C.A.C).

(10) Business/Company profile containing items 1-9.

(4.0) DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)
Expression of Interest (EOI) must be delivered to the address below on or before 10:00a.m local time on 20 January, 2023. Late applications will be rejected.

Signed:
The State Project Coordinator,
IFAD assisted Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise – Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) Project,ADP Premises, Obafemi Awolowo Avenue, Alagbaka,
Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Tel: 08033944643
Email: ondolifend@yahoo.com