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IFAD Plans $70m Project For Nigeria

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15 years ago

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The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is developing a 70-million-dollar value chain project for 16 states in Nigeria, its president, Dr Kanayo Nwanze, has said.

Nwanze told newsmen on Sunday in Rome that the project aimed to revolutionalise agriculture among peasants and other agriculturists and help to boost rural economy and reduce poverty.

He said that the value chain project was the logical sequence to all that had been done in the past as it would create opportunities for farmers to increase their income.

He stressed that it would also benefit those who added value to farm produce from production, processing, marketing and to consumption.

He said that IFAD had prepared comprehensively for the project which would serve as a litmus test of how successful the Fund had been.

He added that Nigeria had the capacity to feed its people because of the diversity of its ecology, resources, good climatic conditions and endowment in agriculture input.

He said that Nigeria needed to maximise its agriculture potential by installing the right policies and building on its human capital.

“IFAD supported FADAMA I and it was so successful that the World Bank came in and supported FADAMA II and it received recognition by the World Bank as one of the best country projects they had supported.

“FADAMA III, which is a much larger project was supported wholly by the World Bank and that is a success story.

“The other success story is the root and tuber development project; the cassava programme in Nigeria and other West African countries has been the most successful projects to the extent that Nigeria became the largest producer of cassava.

“There are the opportunities for us to make good use of cassava, not only for food, but for fuel, energy and bi-products of cassava.

“These opportunities already exist and with the new emphasis on agriculture as the foundation for economic growth and food security, there would be a transformation.

Investigations by reporters showed that IFAD had financed eight projects and programmes in Nigeria since 1985 with a total commitment of 153.3 million dollars.

Some of the ongoing projects are Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN), Community Based National Resources Management Programme in the Niger Delta and Community Based Agriculture and Rural Development Programme.

Nwanze said that Nigeria was the largest recipient of IFAD support both in terms of loans and grants in West and Central Africa.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 days 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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2 days 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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2 days 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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