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Cote d’Ivoire: Quattara Seeks Help To Rebuild Economy

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President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’ Ivoire recently appealed for massive international aid to save his country, whose economy, he said was facing a seven per cent slump.

The UN correspondent  reports that Ouattara made the appeal at a news conference after meeting UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon.

Ouattara said his country, the world’s biggest producer of cocoa, would need a lot of money to rebuild its economy.

Months of conflict over disputed presidential elections left thousands of people dead between November 2010 and April 2011.

Ouattara said that in the past 10 years, there had been no investment, except in the purchase of arms and ammunitions.

“This year, because of the post-election crisis, our economy will drop by seven per cent. So, we need massive support,” he said.

According to some reports, the Ivorian Government has estimated that it will need more than $25 billion of investment to rebuild the economy.

Ouattara told reporters that national reconciliation remained his priority and pledged that alleged massacres and rights abuses by all sides would be investigated.

He said the main task after reconciliation was reconstruction “because the country has been destroyed.”

Responding to questions on allegations of rights abuses by his loyalists, Ouattara stressed that he wanted reconciliation and that the country had embarked on a new beginning.

“We want rule of law, we want to protect our citizens and all the people; we want to abide by human rights, this is very important for us; we don’t want discrimination.

“We have reconciliation under one track but the judicial system will also do its work and justice will be for everyone; there will be no distinction.”

The Ivorian leader said he had met with the Presidents of Ghana, and Liberia in recent weeks to discuss security cooperation.

He said he had secured an agreement with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to boost border security and to exchange information on mercenaries crossing their borders.

Ouattara warned that mercenaries would pose a greater threat to Liberia and Cote d’ Ivoire, because of the upcoming elections in Liberia.

He added that an agreement was also secured with Ghana, where thousands of Ivorians had sought refuge, for the repatriation of any Ivorians found to have committed crimes to face charges in their country.

Ouattara said former President Laurent Gbagbo and wife his, Simone, remained under detention at a presidential residence in the north of the country.

He said no decision had been taken as to whether Gbagbo would face trial in the country or before the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague.

“Even if they were to be found guilty, dignity and consideration should be given to them because of their rank.”

Ouattara is to meet U.S. President Barack Obama and the head of the World Bank, and International Monetary Fund in Washington on Friday, to discuss ways to revamp the Ivorian economy.

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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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