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AFCFTA: Minister Predicts Huge Export Growth in Two Years 

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4 years ago

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The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, has expressed his optimism that exports would witness tremendous  growth in African countries and around the world within the  next two years.
Adebayo made the remark at the end of the sub-national engagement of National Action Committee on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA), which took place in Asaba.
Represented by the Director, Trade in the ministry, Mr Aliu Abubakar, the minister said that the Federal Government was working assiduously to ensure that Nigeria met the standards set by the continental body.
He said that the ministry had set targets to achieve the feat in the next two years, adding that this was the era of global exports.
According to him, Nigeria has the market and is also committed to honouring trade agreements.
“We will safeguard the economy through export of goods and services to other countries and we will ensure that Nigeria takes the right steps to promote its economy so that we will be able to continue to provide services to Africa and improve our ranking in trade”, he assured.
The minister said that the committee had visited six states, including Kaduna, Bauchi, Nassarawa, Lagos, Ogun and Delta, to explore export opportunities in the states.
“Resources abound in the states, we will be working with the states and local governments and we will be visiting all the 36 states to sensitise them on the benefits of AFCFTA,” he stated.
Also speaking, Secretary of the National Action Committee on AFCFTA, Mr Francis Anatogu, said the visit to Delta was to start a process and to sensitise the government on implementation, value-addition.
According to him, the visit will also provide an avenue to work with other states to develop products they will be selling to Africa for economic gains.
“We are working to scan the environment to find out where gaps exist so that we can take our complaints for resolution”, he said. 
Similarly, the Economic Adviser to the Delta Governor, Mr Kingsley Emu, said that aligning with AFCFTA would yield huge dividends for the states.
He said, however, that it was imperative for standards and quality of goods and services to be maintained and for commitments to be respected.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 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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3 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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3 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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