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S’Africa Explains Gulf Guinea Of Presence

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15 years ago

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South Africa says the presence of its Naval ship, in the Gulf of Guinea is to provide assistance to its diplomats and nationals in Cote d’Ivore in case of emergency.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said this in a statement on Wednesday in Johannesburg.

According to the statement the ship is a “non combatant support vessel with a non-aggressive posture”.

It said the ship was originally assigned to participate as a communication and guard vessel for the 2011 Cape to Rio Yacht race holding between January to February.

“The vessel would in particular conduct practical sea training for numerous young officers and ratings in the South African Navy that require practical sea training in order to obtain their various sea going qualifications.

“The SAS DRAKENSBERG was diverted from participating in the Cape to Rio Yacht Race to embark on a mission to the Gulf of Guinea.

“The ship is also still conducting practical sea training for young officers and ratings in the South African Navy.

“This training exercise is exclusively South African and not a joint operation as may have been reported in some media,” the statement said.

It explained that the ship was yet to step into Ivorian territorial waters, explaining that it is presently off the coast of Ghana for the purpose of replenishing rations and exchange of its training crews.

“The vessel has been in international waters since it left the RSA and only entered the waters of Ghana to replenish with the full knowledge of Ghanaian authorities.

“She will proceed back into international waters once this is completed,” the statement explained.

The statement said President Jacob Zuma had communicated the vessel’s movement to President Goodluck Jonathan, who is also the Chair of ECOWAS.

ECOWAS had last week frowned at South Africa’s decision to deploy a naval vessel to Cote d’ Ivore, saying it is complicating efforts to bring a peaceful resolution to the country’s post-election crisis.

The AU, ECOWAS and other international organisations are trying to resolve an election crisis as two rivals lay claim to the presidency after Nov. 28 polls.

The Tide source reports that Zuma is expected to join four other African heads of state to help resolve the crisis in Cote d’Ivoire this weekend.

The AU has at its Summit in January set up High Level Panel made up of five Heads of State to find a solution to the crisis.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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22 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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22 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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22 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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