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Fund Local Innovators To Reduce $9bn Machinery Imports – Expert

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Convener of the Hardware Convention 2021, Mr Tochukwu Chukwueke, has advised the Federal Government to fund local equipment innovators to reduce capital flight on Nigeria’s machinery imports which stood at nine billion dollars in 2020.
Chukwueke gave the advice in a statement made available to The Tide source on Wednesday in Lagos.
He said the Hardware Convention 2021, organised by Clintonel Innovation Centre (CIC), a hardware Start-up Incubator, was held in August in Aba, Abia State, to showcase made-in-Aba equipment.
Chukwueke said the incubator provided training, mentoring and equipment for young people to create engineering innovations, build indigenous products and start up technology businesses.
According to him, negligence of the hardware sector is one of the major reasons Nigeria is suffering 33 per cent unemployment rate and 60 per cent poverty rate.
“The hardware sector is responsible for producing and maintaining the tools, machines and equipment required by the manufacturing sector, which is a major employer of labour.
“Today, Nigerian industries rely heavily on importation for virtually all the machinery they use, causing Nigeria to lose a lot of forex and the Naira to depreciate in value.
“Last year, Nigeria imported machinery worth nine billion dollars and three billion dollars for manufacturing tools.
“The hardware sector is also responsible for producing military equipment as well as several consumer goods like electronics and domestic appliances.
“Until we pay serious attention to developing the Nigerian hardware sector, Nigeria may never experience any meaningful development, job creation or poverty reduction,” he said.
According to him, concerned stakeholders are nurturing a multi-industrial hardware innovation hub to drive development of equipment and adoption of emerging technologies in Aba.
To achieve this, Chukwueke urged investors to support the local fabrication and hardware hubs, adding that a lot was happening to grow the local tech sector to reduce capital flight.
He said that a substantial portion of the innovations were the ones regarded as high tech products, especially those related to telecommunications equipment, semi-conductors and computer items.
Chukwueke said that there was hardware to support consumer electronics for domestic use, including a wide range of audio visual equipment, computer products and telecommunications equipment.
“There are local capacities for building hardware to power PCs, vehicles, electrical devices; local innovators are proving solutions to tackle the numerous challenges the industry is facing, exploring opportunities created by emerging technologies driven by conductor-enabled devices.
“Through its Made-in-Aba initiative, innovators have been ramping up efforts using financial incentives, to accelerate the development of its domestic semi-conductor industry and establish Nigeria as a tech leader.
“Aba has become a geo-focal point as the nation tries to secure the manufacturing base,” he said.
Chukwueke highlighted the opportunities to bolster the nation’s competitiveness, calling for support to hasten the development of a self-sufficient supply chain.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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