Connect with us

Business

NPA To Go Full Digital In 2025 – Koko

Published

on

The Acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko, has assured that all the ports in the country would become fully digitalised in 2025.
He said that deliberate measures and investments were being undertaken by the Authority to create a fully digital ecosystem in all the country’s port locations by 2025.
NPA, in a statement, quoted Koko as giving the assurance during a presentation on “Digitalization Roadmap and Current Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Implementation Status” at the 41st Ports Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) annual council meeting and 16th roundtable conference of Managing Directors of PMAWCA in Douala, Cameroon, recently.
Koko told his audience that a lot of work had gone into the smart port transformation agenda of the Authority, aimed at the enthronement of a paperless, time saving and cost efficient port operations.
Represented by the Executive Director, Engineering and Technical Services, Prof. Idris Abubakar, Koko recalled that the NPA first deployed a main computer system in 1975 to improve its payroll management, billing, statistical and accounting systems.
He said the deployment of personal computers was done at each port location to ease data management, as information sharing was difficult because there was no connectivity between the ports.
Koko added that in 2011, the authority reviewed its ICT strategy in line with its new role as landlord, following the concession of port terminals in 2006.
According to him, the primary focus of the new strategy is on enterprise computing and heavy dependence on network infrastructure, along with a centralised and shared database.
The adoption by NPA of a phased ICT deployment is geared towards achieving a fully integrated port operating system; to foster relationship with all internal and external stakeholders, to streamline NPA’s internal business processes; to make use of high-end smart technologies; as well as to record, monitor and utilise data for better decision making, he said.
The NPA boss said a five-year plan was now being implemented by the Authority for the attainment of a fully digitalised port system in the country.
“So far, the Authority has deployed a portfolio of systems and infrastructure towards the actualisation of its ICT objectives.

Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

on

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

on

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

on

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