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What Africa Needs To Address Inequality, Unemployment – ECA Scribe

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9 years ago

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Acting Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mr Abdalla Hamdok, said that African countries needed to adopt coherent strategies and national development plans to address inequality and unemployment.
Hamdok said this in a statement posted on the ECA website and accessed by newsmen on Friday in Abuja.
The official said there was need for the continent to adopt plans that would promote structural transformation and address the challenges of growth and unemployment.
According to him, these issues will be addressed at the forthcoming Joint Annual Ministerial Conference of ECA and the African Union Commission (AUC).
Hamdok said that the conference, themed, “Growth, Inequality and Unemployment”, would host Africa Ministers of Finance, Economic Development and Planning and other stakeholders in Dakar, Senegal, from 23 to 28 March 2017.
“Preparations have reached advanced stages for the forum that provides Africa with a platform to discuss issues pertinent to her development.
“The theme builds on the understanding that the sustained reduction of inequality requires a holistic understanding of the interrelated issues for coherent policy making.
“We will address strategies for enhancing inclusive growth and promoting employment, especially for women and young people,” said the ECA boss.
He said that the conference would explore measures for reducing inequality and extreme poverty on the continent.
“It will explore measures for reducing extreme poverty in order to achieve the targets of the First 10-Year Implementation Plan (2013-2023) of Agenda 2063 and the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“It will also seek to find pathways towards inclusive and job-creating growth by engaging with representatives of the private sector, civil society organisations, think tanks, academic and research institutions and other stakeholders,”Hamdok said.
The ECA official said that the conference would be preceded by the Committee of Experts meeting from March 23 to March 25, while the Conference of Ministers would be March 27 to 28.
“We expect that seasoned and high-level panellists from within and outside Africa will build on the overarching theme towards an outcome that will have important implications for Africa’s future,” he said.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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12 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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12 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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12 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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