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Nigeria, Canada Set To Boost Trade Relations

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3 years ago

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Nigeria and Canada are set to boost trade, deepen economic ties and establish Nigeria-Canada manufacturing alliance to provide strategic guidance and leadership for trade and bilateral cooperation.
Communication Director of Affinity Global Trade and Investment Ltd., Mrs Anum Ilyas, gave the assurance recently while announcing Nigeria-Canada Trade and Investment Business Forum (NCTIBF).
She said the forum would ensure relevant Ministers give key speeches and champion the course of Nigerian trade and investment.
In a statement, she said the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, and his Science and Technology counterpart, Dr Adeleke Mamora, are to play key roles at the Nigeria-Canada Trade and Investment Business Forum scheduled to hold in Ottawa, Canada, in January 2023.
According to her, the event was being organised by the Canadian Council on Africa, in partnership with Affinity Global Trade and Investment Ltd., and in collaboration with the Nigeria High Commission, Ottawa.
Ilyas said participating organisations with confirmed delegates were the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Raw Materials Research Council, Nigeria Export, and the Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA).
Private sector confirmed delegates, she said, included Global Trade Expert, Geetyme Oil & Gas Integrated Services and Areef Hydro Services Ltd.
Captains of industries specially invited to join the forum delegation are the Dangote Group, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, and Quits Aviation Free Zone Company Plc.
She stated that the forum was intended to contribute to the acceleration of economic and commercial relations between Nigeria and Canada, through curated transactions and marketplace interactions for businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organisations.
According to her, the event will bring together a formidable Nigerian delegation with leading Canadian leaders, from both the public and private sectors, for building strong networks and symbiotic knowledge sharing relationships.
“The forum, in a class of its own, will focus on changing the trajectory of intergovernmental and business-to-business relations between Canada and Nigeria towards stronger engagement and ties.
“Specifically, the event would focus on engagements and panel discussions centered around three key pillars/sectors: manufacturing, science & technology, and oil and gas.
“The forum is expected to welcome over 100 delegates from Nigeria and Canada, including government and private sector officials from bothcountries as well as investors, development partners, and trade support institutions,” Ilyas said.
The objectives of the forum, she continued, included deepening economic ties between Nigeria and Canada and establishment of a Nigeria-Canada manufacturing alliance to provide strategic guidance and leadership for trade and bilateral cooperation.
It’s also to facilitate the engagement of senior Nigerian government officials and industry leaders with their Canadian counterparts to accelerate progress on the Nigeria-Canada Foreign Investment Protection Agreement Bilateral relations.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 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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2 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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2 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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