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Swedish Investors Storm Nigeria …Seek Opportunities In Power, Mining

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9 years ago

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A delegation of Swedish
companies has stormed the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Finance, looking for investment opportunities in critical sectors of the economy.
The delegation, led by Swedish Minister of Trade and European Union Affairs, Mrs Ann Linde, said it came to pave way for the country to benefit from the array of investors interested in long-term investments in the country.
She said the investors indicated interest in providing ICT solution, power, financial services, transport, mining and health services in Nigeria.
The list of the Swedish businesses involved are Ignitia, Okpabi Finance, Hemocue, and financial institutions Swedish Exports Credit Guarantee Board and SEK Swebank.
“The delegation wants to know what measures the government is taking to tackle the current recession and what are its long term plans for financial stability in the economy.
“A brief presentation on Nigeria’s challenges and general information will boost investor confidence,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, said that the government was determined to quickly revamp the economy.
He said that the main strategy to do this and take the country out of recession was diversification of the economy.
“Despite the shock of the dwindling oil prices, the Federal Government is determined to absorb the shock of oil prices.
“We are currently focused on diversifying the economy by improving investments in key sectors with potential to create jobs and have other multiplier effects in the economy.
“So this government had introduced programmes to improve the agriculture, manufacturing and mining sectors, among others.
“We are working assiduously to fix the entire value chain,” he said.
Isa-Dutse talked about the challenges of vandalism in the Niger-Delta and the Boko Haram menace which continued to impact negatively on government revenues.
Nigeria is the second largest trade partner with Sweden, with a total volume of trade now in excess of 550 million dollars and a 65 per cent increase.
The relationship has been very mutual with both countries contributing significantly to the growth of each other’s economy.
A number of Swedish companies are established in Nigeria, including Ericsson, ABB, Atlas Copco, Tetra Pak, Gulf Agency Company, Flexenclosure, Oriflame and Sandvik.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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1 day 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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1 day 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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1 day 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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