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Africa Not Set To End Hunger, Poverty – AATF

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In spite of progress made so far in efforts to combat hunger and malnutrition in Africa, the continent is still far from ending hunger and poverty, going by the Malabo Declaration of 2014 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2.
Executive Director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Dr. Canisius Kanangire, stated this in Abuja, Monday, in an interaction with journalists.
He said Africa needed to adopt technology and innovation to revolutionise its agriculture and expedite actions to address the challenges.
According to the United Nations, more than 258 million people in Africa were undernourished in 2020, representing about 19 per cent of the population.
Kanangire said the success achieved through the development of Tela maize and pest-resistant cowpea and their next generations remains an example of biotechnology innovations that are geared towards the transformation of agriculture in Africa to improve crop yields and reduce post-harvest losses.
According to him, Africa’s development will be very difficult to attain unless the continent develops its agriculture and makes it economically viable.
“I would say there has been a lot of progress, but we are still far from ending hunger and poverty. Africa has made a lot of progress, and you have some countries that have even implemented most of the targets that were set by the Malabo Declaration.
“As Africans, I feel that we should be doing much more. The transformation should accelerate the adoption of the changes that are needed to really revolutionise the agricultural sector.
“I will only take this opportunity to urge our decision-makers, policymakers and also the private sector, because it can’t be done by only one sector. I want to urge them to use the two years to really ensure that we expedite the transformation that we need”, he said.
He continued that “Biotechnology is coming along quite well, and we are learning and getting encouraged by the successes, which are achieved by the first adopters here for cowpea and in South Africa for Tela maize”.
The AATF boss encouraged African governments to harmonise policies that will strengthen robust seed systems to drive biotechnology.
He further said mechanisation remains one of the areas where Africa is not doing well and requires significant improvement if the continent is to feed this growing population.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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