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Microfinance Banks Assure Improved Service Delivery

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The National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB) says it will put measures in place to ensure members deliver the association’s mandates to customers.
The NAMB’s President, Mr Rogers Nwoke disclosed this to newsmen at the side- line of the association’s National Executive Council meeting held in Abuja.
“So what we are doing is to prepare our members to be able to deliver on the micro finance promise which is poverty alleviation, financial inclusion and access to finance.
“That is what we are doing today and we are looking forward to after today begin to get to the grassroots where our members really are and ensure that it doesn’t just happen at the headquarters.
“What you see here today are states and zonal leaders in all the various locations of the country.
“So we will take this campaign down to ensure that microfinance banks are well positioned to deal with the issues that we expect at the bottom of the pyramid.
“Because that clearly is where the key to the microeconomic development of the country is; and I think that we will get it right.”
The NAMB president said that Nigerians wouåd see a major shift in the microfinance sector within the next 12 months in accordance with present leadership of the association.
“Nigerians will see a major shift from what they have been getting from their microfinance banks.
“We are doing BVN enrollment; we are buying our BVN machines and getting our members to enroll their customers, we are signing on to NIBSS and getting integrated into the national payment systems.
“Many of our banks are now digitalising their operations; I think Nigerians are in for a better deal coming forward.
According to Nwoke, the meeting would be used to strategise plans on improving the association with the viewsituation to tackle the various challenges confronting them.
He added that the meeting would also be used to prepare the executives to serve its members well and deliver on the association’s promises.
“We plan on ensuring adequate and effective monitoring and evaluation of the sectors activities and also ensure members abide by the code of ethics and code of conduct.
“As you are aware, the ultimate beneficiary of a well run professional microfinance banks is the consumers,’’ Nwoke said.
NAMB is the apex organisation and an association of all regulated microfinance banks in Nigeria.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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