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AfDB Tasks Nigeria On Industry

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6 years ago

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Senior Director, Nigeria Country Department in African Development Bank (AfDB), Mr Ebrima Faal, yesterday advised industry players to use the opportunities of the 2019 Africa Investment Forum (AIF) to unlock investment potential in the continent.
Senior Director, Nigeria Country Department in AfDB, Mr Ebrima FAAL made the call at the 2nd Nigeria Roadshow of the AIF.
AIF, scheduled for November 11 and November 13 in South Africa, aims to change the face of investment in Africa by bringing together members with vested interest in Africa’s growth and development.
He urged industry players and policy makers to maximise opportunities that the forum would provide to connect, engage and and close high-impact deals.
According to FAAL, last year’s edition of AIF held in South Africa convened over 2000 participants representing 87 countries including eight heads of governments.
“Deals worth a total of 46.9 billion dollars were discussed with 49 deals valued at 38.7 billion dollars secured.
“These figures are not just impressive for an attempt at something that has never been done on the continent, but phenomenal.
“These figures evince the untapped business opportunities in Africa, stemming from deals that cut across all sectors reinforcing the strategic vision of the bank as enshrined in its “High 5’s”.
“They are to light up and power Africa, feed Africa, industrialise Africa and improve the quality of life for the people of Africa,” FAAL said.
Further recounting the experience at the 2018 edition of AIF, FAAL said that Nigeria had five deals worth seven billion dollars out of the 63 boardroom deals presented at the forum.
“This represents 14.9 per cent of the total deals accounted for the continent, and 43 per cent of the deals accounted for the region; we can do better.
“This year, it is paramount that we not only maintain our place as a pacesetter, but also collectively strive to improve on the quality and quantity of deals closed.
“Africa Investment Forum offers a unique opportunity to exhaust numerous options for sound, innovative and economically viable growth for the continent and, especially for Nigeria.
“Even with impressive CBN reserve of about 45 billion dollars and a pension fund of about N8 trillion, Nigeria will need a considerable amount of private finance to bridge its cumulative infrastructural needs of about three trillion dollars by 2024.
“The time for bridging this gap is now,” FAAL said.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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8 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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9 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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9 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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