Connect with us

Business

NEPC Tasks Textile Manufacturers On Market Potentials

Published

11 years ago

on

The Nigerian Export
Promotion Council (NEPC) has tasked textile and apparel manufacturers to take advantage of business and investment potentials from the global market.
The Managing Director, NEPC, Olusegun Awolowo, explained that it is imperative for the Nigerian textile industry to brace up to take a market share in the global market  with  huge  opportunities.
The Managing Director stated this at a stakeholders  forum  of garments, textile and apparel producers tagged “Harnessing the export potential of the Nigerian apparel  and garment sector”, held in Lagos, recently.
He was represented by the Acting Zonal  Controller NEPC, Lagos, Mrs Evelyn Obidike who stressed that the present  administration has launched  the Nigeria cotton,  textile and garment policy to boost the sector.
The NEPC boss said the global market for textile and apparel is expected to expand  drastically, stressing that  it is going to be a challenging market full of risks  and unbelievable opportunities.
He called on the  industry’s  stakeholders to take cognizance  of skills, competences and key trends to avoid pitfalls,  stressing that the council is fully committed to providing necessary assistance for the sector to thrive and increase export as the country has the comparative advantage  to increase export of textile  and apparels.
The NEPC boss explained that the adoption of agreement in textile and clothing (ATC) by World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995 has removed quotas  on textile and clothing among WTO members which included Nigeria.
Awolowo said that the forum  was designed to engage in  discourse that will assist  both the council and stakeholders to proffer strategies that will enhance the export of Nigerian textile and apparel, stressing that the country’s textiles and garment industry if given the necessary  attention will be one of the game  changers for the nation’s export drive.
He said NEPC’s effort have been geared towards providing direct assistance to the textile and garment sector, stressing that one of such intervention was the establishment of human capital development centre in Lagos to enhance capacity of the players in the garment industry.
He bemoaned the position of the economically developed countries to have imposed high tariffs and quantitative restruction on export of textile and clothing from less economically developed countries to their countries.
Awolowo  assured textiles and garment stakeholders of the council continuous support.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

9 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

9 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

9 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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.
Continue Reading

Trending