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Nigeria’s GDP To Grow By 7% In 2014 -UN

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12 years ago

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The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has listed Nigeria among selected West African nations to witness a GDP growth of 6.9 per cent in the current fiscal year.
The ECA, in its annual World Economic Outlook, released yesterday in Addis Ababa projected that the African economy would grow by 4.7 per cent GDP in 2014.
It also said there would be a growth of 5.0 per cent in 2015.
The reports, presented to journalists by the ECA’s Chief Forecaster, Adam EiHiraikia, listed Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Burkina Faso among those economies.
They said there would be a growth from the 6.7 per cent in 2013 to 6.9 per cent in 2014.
“West Africa will continue to attract investment in the oil and minerals sector, a key source of growth in the sub-region, especially in countries such as Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Burkina Faso.”
The UN agency also said the GDP growth would, at that, be supported by improvement in global economic and regional business environment.
It also said high commodity prices and easing infrastructure constraints, as well as increasing trade and investments from emerging economies, would help in this direction.
The agency said factors like medium-term growth prospects, increasing domestic demand from emerging class of new consumers associated with urbanisation and rising incomes would be responsible for the expected growth.
The report said inflation across Africa will decline slightly from the average 8.0 per cent in 2013 to 7.8 per cent in the current fiscal year.
It said fiscal deficit will decline from 1.8 per cent ofGDP in 2013 to 1.7 per cent in 2014.
The report, however, expressed concern that the record of economic growth in the continent had not impacted positively on the African peoples.
It said poverty remained high and income remained low and cannot meet daily demands.
It called on governments to focus more on providing infrastructure and efforts to modernise their country’s Small and Medium Enterprises for faster growth among the low income-earners.

L-R: Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) North-East Zonal District Manager, Mr Emmanuel Enbuku, Managing Director, Mr Adeseyi Sijuwade and Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, during the minister’s inspection of rail track rehabilitation in Bauchi last Thursday.

L-R: Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) North-East Zonal District Manager, Mr Emmanuel Enbuku, Managing Director, Mr Adeseyi Sijuwade and Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, during the minister’s inspection of rail track rehabilitation in Bauchi last Thursday.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 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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5 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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5 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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