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‘18.2m Women In Business’

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12 years ago

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The Managing Director, Fortis Microfinance Bank Plc. Mr Kunle Oketikun, said over 18.2 million women of the country’s population own some forms of trade.

Oketikun said this in Abuja at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Fortis, Growth and Employment in States (GEMS), a UK Department for International Development (DFID) funded project and Primlaks Group.

He said that the bank was partnering with these development partners on ways to transform and grow the businesses of women from micro to middle scale level.

“A 2012 survey on financial services in Nigeria by Elfina, a financial sector development organisation revealed that 18.2 million women are traders or business owners while 14.7 million men are traders.

“The idea behind it is that when they become distributors, the middleman level is eliminated completely and by so doing, we are convinced that their income lines will improve significantly,’’ he said.

Mr Simeon Kenny, the team leader, Economic Growth of DFID and GEMS, said that avenues for multiple layers of income for the poor must be created for the country to move out of poverty.

Oketikun said that in most Nigerian homes, women were the bread winners, which was why the current partnership with Fortis was focused on their future empowerment.

“GEMS4 is a DFID-UKAID sponsored scheme focused on wholesale buying and distribution. It is aimed at job creation by supporting small-and medium-sized enterprises.

“Women play a significant role within Nigeria’s wholesale and retail sector, they are also more likely to be vulnerable to the effects of poverty than men.

“This was why GEMS4 was designed to ensure that growth of the wholesale and retail sector is accompanied by widened economic opportunities for women,’’ he said.

Mr Ravi Hemnani, the General Manager of Primlaks Group, an international organisation, said that the partnership would further boost the objective of his organisation which was to improve 100 million lives in 2020.

“Partnering with Fortis Microfinance Bank to provide micro distributorship to more than 60,000 of its women customers in Abuja and environs is one that will affect more lives positively,’’ he said.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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20 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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21 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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21 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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