Connect with us

Business

FG Reiterates Commitment To Industrialisation

Published

6 years ago

on

The Federal Government has reiterates its commitment to realisation of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP).
Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enalamah, said last Friday at the inauguration of the Nigeria Competitiveness Project (NICOP) that the government was poised to realise the NIRP through its commitment to the development of Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.
Represented by Mr Edet Akpan, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Enalamah said the MSMEs would be given serious attention because of their role in economic diversification.
He said the project sponsored by the European Union (EU) and the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), would complement other government initiatives.
“Nigeria is endowed with human and natural resources, and for the country to attain its full potential, we cannot afford to ignore the MSMEs and their contribution to the economy.
“As a developing nation, we are making effort to transform the economy by initiating programmes and policies that will help improve the standard of living,” he said.
The minister also said that government was working hard to promote social and political stability especially with the ongoing programmes on economic diversification.
Speaking at the event, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Karlsen Ketil said the union in collaboration with the GIZ had, in support of NICOP, earmarked about 10 million euros for MSMEs development.
Ketil noted that the support for the development of MSMEs became pertinent due to population growth and the alarming rise in unemployment in the country.
“There is no better way to create jobs in Nigeria than to produce our own goods, this is better than sending raw materials abroad and importing the finished products,” he said.
Economic Development Cluster Coordinator of GIZ-Nigeria, Hans-Ludwig Bruns, said that NICOP was a four-year project commissioned by the German government and co-funded by the EU.
“NICOP will assist MSMEs to add value to and migrate towards new and higher level tasks along selected value chain such as tomato, pepper, chilli, ginger, leather and garments.
“It is also aimed at promoting structural transformation, overcoming coordination and linkage failures as well as improving access to regional and international market,” he said.
He further stated that NICOP would provide support across three major pillars such as technical, access to finance and investment.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

23 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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

23 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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

23 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

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