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SMEDAN Wants D-8 Investors To Explore Nigeria’s Agric Sector

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13 years ago

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The Director-General of the Small and Medium-Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)Alhaji Muhammed Nadada, has called on investors from developing countries (D-8) to explore Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

Nadada made the appeal in Abuja,yesterday at the closing of the two-day third D-8 Working Group Meeting, with the theme: “Promoting International Trade Through SME Development’’.

Members of the D-8, a group of eight developing nations founded in 1997 to foster economic cooperation, are Nigeria, Iran, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Egypt.

According to Nadada, agriculture is one area where Nigeria has comparative and competitive advantages which should be fully tapped.

He said that the Nigerian government had provided a 100 per cent capital allowance as incentive for companies in the agro-allied business.

The director-general said that every sector of the nation’s economy needed foreign investment, adding that Small and Medium-Enterprises (SMEs) were crucial to global economic development.

“Companies in the agro-allied business do not have their capital allowance restricted.

“The SMEs sub-sector provides the platform for opening the D-8 countries to global competitiveness and prosperity requires elevating them to economically advanced nations.

“The challenge is for D-8 countries to collaborate and, based on competitiveness and comparative advantage, help each other to develop SMEs, which will provide the platform for global competitiveness,’’ the director-general said.

Nadada gave the assurance that SMEDAN would continue to support the development of SMEs for sustainable economic growth and development.

Also speaking, the Alhaji Mustafa Bello, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), said that the nation’s economy had grown by 7.36 per cent.

He said that Nigeria was the world’s third fastest growing economy, “which makes it one of the most viable nations to invest in despite the challenges’’ it was facing.

“Nigeria has a stable macro-economic and political environment and a cost effective human resources.

“It has a large internal market and a robust youth population of about 60 per cent,’’ Bello, who was represented by Mr Byron Ifeanyi of the One Stop Investment Centre (OSIC) in the NIPC, said.

He said that there were 36 strategic mineral resource endowments in the country.

According to him, OSIC provides prompt, efficient and transparent services and coordinates investment with about 26 government parastatal agencies.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 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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3 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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3 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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