The Niger Delta Development Commission has pledged its commitment to working with an international nongovernmental organisation, Kasha International Agricultural Organization, to create jobs through artificial insemination of livestock.
The NDDC Executive Director of Projects, Charles Ogunmola, made this known in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Ogunmola expressed the Commission’s desire to boost youth employment and livestock farming in the Niger Delta during a visit of the Country Representative/Director of KIADO, Hilda Josef, to the NDDC headquarters.
KIADO is a Georgia, United States of America-based non-profit donor organisation dedicated to rural poverty alleviation, grassroots agricultural development and enhanced rural infrastructure through various programs.
Ogunmola said: “As a dynamic Management, we are looking for ways to drive productive outcomes in our region, through agriculture.
“We do not want to engage in bogus programmes and projects, but projects that are sustainable and achievable through agriculture.”
He explained that the NDDC is focused on a number of quick wins to set the Niger Delta apart and facilitate the creation of gainful jobs for the teeming youth.
He said: “We are looking at different ways to employ our youths and get our entrepreneurs busy.
“One of the pillars is agriculture.
“We are interested in livestock production and how to improve the livestock sector.
“We are very open to partnerships and working with you.”
Disclosing her mission to the NDDC, the Country Representative/Director of KIADO said: “We want to introduce artificial insemination to the Niger Delta through the NDDC.
“It will yield bigger harvests, faster results, and further boost the economy in the long run.”
Josef said KIADO had trained farmers in other parts of the country, adding that the Niger Delta climate is very suitable for breeding of livestock, especially goats, which have the potential for generating foreign exchange from exports.”