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EU To Help Reposition Nigeria’s Economy

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11 years ago

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The Head, Economic
Governance and Trade Cooperation, European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Juan Casla, said EU was willing to help review the Nigeria Trade Policy (NTP) and Strategy to reposition the economy.
Casla  told The Tide source in Abuja on Wednesday that the new policy would focus on diversifying export, a more value added production and industrialised products in Nigeria.
“Nigeria cannot rely much longer on export of oil; so it should try to diversify export.
“The structure should also try to have a more added value added production and focus on industrialised products in Nigeria.
“And apart from that, it will involve getting Nigeria more involvement in the regional integration processes that is taking place in the ECOWAS.
“So these are the three important elements that are going to determine this trade policy we believe,” he said.
He said that the EU was aware of the country’s industrial revolution plan adding that important structures needed to be in place to enable the country to actualise the plan.
Casla said EU, in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), was improving the quality of infrastructure in the country.
According to him, the objective of this project is how we can improve the Nigerian infrastructure to improve the quality of its products, particularly industrial products.
“We are working on an important project with our partner UNIDO and the objective of this programme is to improve the Nigerian infrastructure to improve the quality of its products, particularly industrial products.
“There needs to be a strong standardisation agency and there needs to be good information about standards for private companies.
“There needs to be a good system of laboratories that provides quality testing of industrial products so that they can be available for domestic consumption and exports.
“There should be a good accreditation system by which the public authorities can identify that this laboratory is good and that its tests can be accepted by the market,” he said.
The EU representative said the organisation was also supporting the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment with technical assistance in many fronts in line with its cooperation programmes with Nigeria.
Casla said the EU was determined to get Nigeria involved more in regional economic integration processes that Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was currently carrying out.
According to Casla, ECOWAS is currently undergoing a very ambitious trade liberalisation process that involves elimination of customs barriers and harmonisation of standards.
He said that trade between Nigeria and regional countries would increase with the country’s focus on diversification of export products.

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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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