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NCDMB, Ghana Petroleum Commission Partner In Capacity Building 

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The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has agreed to partner with the Petroleum Commission of Ghana in building the capacity of the latter in developing its local content, among others.
This is in line with the NCDMB’s long-standing support to African oil and gas producing countries and development of local content in the continent.
NCDMB, on Monday, began a five-day knowledge sharing programme with the Petroleum Commission of Ghana in Lagos, Nigeria.
A statement from the Corporate Communications directorate of the Board says that the engagement seeks to amongst other things establish technical cooperation between the NCDMB and the Ghanaian petroleum Commission through capacity building and learning from the Board’s rich experiences, best practices and procedures in local content development.
According to the Board, part of the objectives are to foster the Petroleum Commission of Ghana’s efforts to institute an effective framework that will enhance compliance and deepen local content in their nation’s oil and gas industry.
The opening day’s activities included a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, at the Board’s liaison office in Lagos in which he welcomed the delegation to Nigeria and relayed the board’s unwavering commitment to the development of  African local content.
In his opening remarks, Director, Monitoring and Evaluation of the NCDMB, Mr. Abdulmalik Halilu, emphasized the need for close cooperation among African oil-producing countries, noting that the technological and financial challenges facing the industry cannot be solved when countries operate in silos.
 He canvassed that African oil producing countries should develop unique and specialized capabilities that would facilitate effective trade amongst themselves, and grow the African economy, as envisaged by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA).
Highpoints of the technical cooperation was the sharing of strategies and operating templates covering supplier development initiatives, Nigerian Oil and Gas Parks Scheme (NOGaPS) and the structure and operations of the agency by other key officials of the NCDMB.
Presentations in the later days of the week focused on the operating framework for Nigerian Content planning, research and statistics, succession planning processes, Nigerian Joint Qualification System (NJQS), Biometrics system, human capacity building, institutional strengthening, Nigerian Content Equipment Certification (NCEC) and other templates.
Other themes that were explored as part of the engagement, according to the Board, include the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) operating framework, the Projects Certification and Authorization Division (PCAD) templates and implementing framework, the Monitoring and Evaluation implementing framework and the Community Content Guidelines and Stakeholder Management strategies and many more.
The Board also noted that Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Project 100 companies and the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), which is the umbrella body of leading international and indigenous oil producing companies in Nigeria, also made presentations at the sessions.
The engagement is ends today with NCDMB and the Commission reviewing a draft memorandum of understanding and protocols for data sharing.
The Tide gathered that the engagement with the Ghana Petroleum Commission agency follows similar sessions the Board has had with the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) and the Mozambique’s national oil company, Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (ENH), earlier in the year.
A statement from the Board’s Directorate of Corporate Communications also added that the NCDMB’s support to the African petroleum industry is propelled by the Nigerian Content 10-year strategic roadmap, which has sectoral and regional linkages as one of its five pillars.
The Directorate noted that a key initiative of the pillar on sectorial and regional linkage is the Board’s close collaboration with the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO).
Under the collaboration, the NCDMB said, it has organized several workshops in partnership with APPO, with the inaugural edition held in 2021 at the Nigerian Content Tower, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where the idea for an African Energy Bank was mooted by the board, saying that the Energy Bank has now become fully established under APPO, with the headquarters approved for Abuja.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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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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