*Three Ekiti Livestock Farmers Get N1m Each as L-PRES, DBN Boost Agribusinesses

Three livestock farmers and agribusiness owners from Ekiti State have each received N1 million to expand their businesses, under a capacity-building programme facilitated by the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) through the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project.

The beneficiaries emerged as the top three performers in an assessment at the end of a regional training programme in Akure, which brought together livestock farmers and agribusiness owners from Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo and Edo States.

Ola Joy of Prime Artics Farms placed first, followed by Aluko Oluwatobilola of Yadun's World Enterprise in second place. Olamide Akomolafe of Palmeise Farm Enterprise came third.

The training was designed to strengthen participants' entrepreneurial capacity and equip them with practical skills for building sustainable, profitable agribusinesses. Topics included business development, financial management, access to funding and other aspects of enterprise management.

The Ekiti State Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Mr Olayinka Adedipe, described the programme as an important initiative for building the capacity of livestock farmers and improving their access to finance.

He said the skills acquired would enable the beneficiaries to adopt better business management practices, boost productivity and create opportunities for sustainable growth.

Adedipe urged the beneficiaries to use the grants and the knowledge gained wisely to expand their businesses, strengthen operations and contribute to the development of Ekiti's livestock sector.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Akomolafe commended the Ekiti State Government and L-PRES for the intervention. He said the training and financial support would open up greater opportunities for them and help them overcome some of the challenges of accessing finance for agricultural development.

The programme underscores the importance of capacity building, enterprise development and access to finance in helping livestock farmers move from small-scale, subsistence production to sustainable and commercially viable agribusinesses.