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‘4million Rural Dwellers Have Benefitted From RUFIN’

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9 years ago

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Over four million rural
dwellers have benefitted from the Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN), the Deputy National Coordinator of the programme, Mrs Unekwu Ufaruna, has said.
Ufaruna, who made this known in an interview with newsmen in Makurdi on Thursday, said the programme had also made tremendous impact on micro-finance service providers.
“About four million people have benefitted directly from RUFIN progrmmme.
“Apart from the 18,000 benefiting groups (15 to 20 persons per group) across the country, the programme had also organised capacity building workshops for micro-finance institutions, Bank of Agriculture (BoA) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“The capacity building programmes are designed to improve financial services for the rural poor and aid financial institutions to be self-reliant and not to depend on government for funds.
“Even the customers of the banks have indirectly benefited from RUFIN as they now enjoy better financial services with modern techniques,’’ she said.
Ufaruna, however, appealed to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to liaise with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to give more loans so that new women and youth groups would be properly mentored.
She said RUFIN was only being implemented in three local government areas of 12 states across the country, saying that the programme was yet to reach many rural poor.
The Tide source reports that RUFIN is a programme sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in collaboration with the Federal Government.
The seven-year programme was introduced in 2010 to reduce poverty in rural areas by enhancing access to financial services for rural poor households.
The programme gives special attention to women, the physically challenged and rural youths through group formation methodology.
However, the pilot programme is being implemented in the following 12 states: Katsina, Zamfara, Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Nasarawa, Lagos, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Anambra and Imo.
In a separate interview, the Micro-finance expert of the programme, Mr Adamu Ibrahim, said RUFIN had impacted on no fewer than 900 microfinance banks in the country.
He said that through capacity building programmes, RUFIN had improved their standard of operations and had put them on the MIX Market, which gives them visibility on the international scene.
Ibrahim said the programme, in partnership with the regulatory authorities, particularly the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had created environment conducive for microfinance bank to

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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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