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World Bank Lists Nigeria Among Promising Economies

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Looking into the future of the global economy, the Word Bank on Monday said Nigeria and other emerging economies will determine the new structure of the global economy by 2025.

Nigeria has a vision of reaching among the top 20 economies in the world by 2020.

The report on the future of the global economy, titled Global Development Horizons 2011, said the world economy would assume a different structure by 2025, with many emerging economies driving global growth.

The report, subtitled, Multi-polarity: The New Global Economy, was sent to the West Africa office of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abidjan by the World Bank.

Other African economies listed among the 60 likely global actors, include Ghana, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco and Kenya.

The report said the position of the advanced or developed countries would be less significant as growth would be diversified, with other currencies upstaging the dominance of the dollar in trade.

“The international monetary system is likely to cease being dominated by a single currency.

“The emerging countries, where three-fourths of the official foreign exchange reserves are currently held and whose sovereign wealth funds and other pulls of capital are increasing important sources of international investment will play key roles in financial markets

“In short, a new world order with a more diffused distribution economic power is emerging. There will be a shift towards multi-polarity,’’ the report said.

It said the euro had gained wide acceptance in the international cycle, while the yen and the pounds sterling remained “single digit shares of financial reserves”.

Another currency that will pose a competition to the dollar, according to the report, is he Chinese renminbi.

“China’s economy and the rapid globalisation of its corporations and banks will position the renminbi to take a more important international role.

“By 2025, the most probable global currency scenario will be a multi-polar one centred around the dollar, euro and the renminbi,’’ the report said.

According to the report, multi-polarity implies a situation where numerous national concentration of power exists but no single centre dominates politically.

“At no time in modern history have so many developing countries been at the fore-front of a multi-polar economic system.

“Within the next two decades, the rise of emerging economies will inevitably have major implication for the global economic and geo-political landscape,’’ the report.

The report added that policy makers would need to equip themselves with the tools and capacities to effectively capitalise on opportunities while simultaneously safe guarding their economies against risks.

The report said the emerging economies had become a “powerful force’’ in international production, trade and finance.

“Emerging and developing economies share of international trade has risen steadily from 26 per cent in 1995 to an estimated 42 per cent in 2010.

“Much of this rise has been due to an expansion of trade not between both developed and developing countries, but among developing countries,’’ the report said.

The report said by 2025, six major emerging economies-Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation- would collectively account for more than half of all global growth.

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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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