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RSG Tasks PHCCIMA On SMEs Funding

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11 years ago

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Rivers State Government has urged the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce Industry, Mines and Agriculture (PHCCIMA) to ensure that its Small and Medium Enterpreneurs (SMEs) scheme does not end in the city, but spread to the grass roots of the 23 Local Government Areas of the State.
The deputy governor of the State, Engineer Tele Ikuru, who gave the charge during the launch of PHCCIMA’s Credit Support Scheme for SMEs in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, said that the state government has established a number of schemes to empower people and develop capacity even at the grass roots, especially through its agencies like the RSSDA.
Ikuru who was represented by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Aquaculture, Mr Alapuye Corttrell, also urged PHCCIMA to provide adequate management for the small businesses where owners should be separated from the business.
With the driving force of employment generation, the deputy governor, said that the scheme should be extended to palm wine tappers, bread sellers and fish traders in the rural areas.
He however commended PHCCIMA for the Free Collateral loan scheme which he said is unusual, stressing that such will boost business and productivity.
Earlier in his speech, the President of the Chamber, Emeka Unachukwu stated that PHCCIMA is interested in small businesses, giving instance of a Uniport student who needed N150,000 to fund his insecticide business, but had no access to funds.
The PHCCIMA president said that the primary objective of the chamber has been to provide support for member organisations, adding that PHCCIMA has devised a new structured credit scheme that will allow organisations access to good funding with low interest and relatively long-term duration.
Highlight of the occasion was the unveiling of the scheme by the deputy governor’s representative in support of other past leaders of PHHCIMA.
The gathering was withnessed by the sho-is-who in business in the state, including representatives of various banks, organizations and industries, including the RSSDA boss, Nobble Pepple who was inducted by the chamber.

 

L-R: Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, South African Minister Of Finance, Mr Pravin Gordhan and Executive Secretary, African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, during the African Ministers of Finance meeting in Abuja last Saturday.

L-R: Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, South African Minister Of Finance, Mr Pravin Gordhan and Executive Secretary, African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, during the African Ministers of Finance meeting in Abuja last Saturday.

Corlins Walter

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 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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2 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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2 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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