Connect with us

Business

Stakeholders Explore Non-Oil Exports Strategies

Published

on

Stakeholders in the Non-
Oil Export sector represented by state Committees on Export Promotion in the various states of the federation have met in Lagos to discuss techniques of non-oil exports in the country tagged, “Techniques of Non-Oil Export Project Formulation and Implementation”. The two day intergrated capacity  building workshop for stable committees on export promotion, also presented a platform for the launch of the One State One Product campaign by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
The council in  a statement issued at the end of the first day of the programme late last week remarked that in view of dwindling oil revenue, coupled with the need to increase the basket for exportable products from Nigeria, it had concluded arrangements to launch the OSOP initiative targeted at developing and promoting one product for export per state.
The statement added that the initatitive had taken cognizance of the country’s comparative advantage in terms of the vastness of its natural endowments as well as effort to diversity the nation’s revenue base using Nigeria’s Industrial Revolution Plan.
The council in the statement further noted that under the NIRP, it had identified 13 national strategic export products that would replace oil.
It listed the 13 products which fell into various categories of agro-industrial, mining, oil and gas, industrial products, palm oil, cocoa, sugar, rice, cashew, petroleum products, fertilizer/Urea, petrochemical and menthol.
“Stakeholders in the sector are of the opinion that when OSOP becomes operational, it is `expected to shore up the revenue of the 36 federating states, provide jobs as well as create wealth along the value chain” the statement read.
Presenting a paper at the workshop, the Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Mr Olusegun Awolowo remarked that using the country’s comparative advantage, one product would be adopted in each state and developed down its value chain to enhance competitiveness and achieve economic inclusion.
“Although Nigeria is among the world’s largest producer of seven agricultural export commodities, including cassava, yams, shea, nuts and sorghum, it is not reflected in global trade” he said.
According to the NEPC boss, the programme would afford stakeholders to prepare for the implementation of the plan, thus ensuring qualitative products for non-oil exports.

Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

on

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

on

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

on

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