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Agric Sector Records N1.7tn Trade Deficit In Nine Months 

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The agricultural sector recorded a trade deficit of N1.7tn between January and September this year, as exports stood at N371.8bn while imports rose to N2.1tn.
This is contained in the latest National Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS) foreign trade report.
The report showed that the total value of trading in agricultural goods during the first three quarters of 2021 was N2.4tn.
In the first quarter of the year, the total trade in the sector was N757.4bn, comprising an export component of N127.2bn and imports worth N630.2bn.
The difference between the value of exports and imports during the reviewed quarter resulted in a trade deficit of N503bn.
The report read in part, “Top exported agricultural products were Sesamum seeds exported mainly to China (valued at N23.1bn), Japan (N8.3bn) and Turkey (N3bn).
“This was followed by good fermented cocoa beans exported to the Netherlands (N9.2bn), Malaysia (N5.5bn) and the United States (N3.2bn). Other major exports under this sector include cashew nuts in shell exported to Vietnam and India, worth N5.3bn and N5.1bn, respectively.
“On the other hand, the import bill in the agricultural sector was dominated by the importation of durum wheat (not in seed) worth (N66.97bn) from Lithuania and Latvia (N41.51bn), as well as Canada (N41.31bn).
“Edible mixtures or preparation of animal worth N82.86bn was also imported from Denmark and Herrings (Clupea haregus, Clupea pallasii) from Russia (N15.8bn) and Netherlands (14bn)”.
However, in the second quarter of the year, the export of agricultural products grew to N165.27bn and the import to N652.08bn, bringing total trade to N817.5bn. Trade deficit in the sector dropped to N486.81bn in Q2.
The NBS data showed that the top exported agricultural products during the review period were fermented cocoa beans exported mainly to Netherlands (N16.4bn), Malaysia (N9.3bn) and United States (N8.4bn), followed by cashew nuts  exported to Vietnam (N33.54bn) and India (N3.24bn).
Sesamum seeds were also exported to Japan in the value worth N7.28bn, and China (N7.14bn).
Durum wheat, blue whiting, mackerel, malt, and crude palm oil were some of the most imported agricultural goods in the second quarter, according to the report.
In the third quarter of the year, the report showed that export of agricultural products reduced drastically to N79.4bn, while imports rose significantly to N789.1bn, resulting in a trade deficit of N709.7bn.
“The total value of trade in agricultural goods in Q3 2021 stood at N868.5bn; these comprised agricultural goods exports (N79.4bn) and agricultural goods imports (N789.1bn).
“Agricultural goods exports value in Q3, 2021 was 5.9 per cent lower than Q2 2021 but 31 per cent higher than Q3 2020. The value of imported agricultural goods was 21.01 per cent higher than the value recorded in Q2, 2021 and 56.74 per cent higher than Q3 2020,” the NBS said.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 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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5 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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5 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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