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Agro Allied Processing ‘ll Enhance Job Creation – SMEDAN DG

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10 years ago

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Director-General, Small
and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN),  Mr Bature Masari, has called for the development of agro allied industries to boost job creation in the country.
Masari, who made the call in Abuja at a news forum, said the agency is committed to the development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.
According to him, agro allied processing will not only boost job creation but also attract Nigerians massively into agriculture sector.
Masari decried lack of access to finance by Nigerians, saying that SMEDAN had been mandated to coordinate activities on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in the country, including agricultural sector.
‘’We coordinate activities in that particular sub-sector with a view to ensuring that whatever is needed by the government to support MSME in Nigeria is implemented by the agency.
‘’And we have been doing that to the best of our ability in every state of the country and we have been able to ensure that MSMEs receive financial assistance.’’
The Director explained that there were very many Nigerians with profitable enterprising ideas but lack necessary collateral to obtain the needed financial assistance to boost their businesses.
Masari said that SMEDAN has been able to undertake proper identification of agriculture products that can generate both employment and revenue to the teaming population and the country.
The director-general, therefore, advised Nigerians to explore such opportunity, adding that it will reduce unemployment and poverty in the society.
‘’When we concluded the opening of our offices across the country; we conducted survey and identified a ‘one-Local Government, one-product’ in every council area in Nigeria.
‘’We brought together major stakeholders in these local government areas and we were able to select product data massively produced in these local governments.
‘’We discovered products that have a long value chain which Nigerians can key into in their localities and various enterprises that can provide jobs through them.’’
Masari said over 90 per cent of the SMEDAN’s products identified were in agro allied processing and cut across all the 774 LGA in the country, which underscored the important of agriculture in Nigeria.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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23 hours 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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23 hours 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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23 hours 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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