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NEPC Distributes 4,633 Hybrid Seedlings Across Nigeria 

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5 months ago

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The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) says the council has distributed 4,633 hybrid seedlings to farmers across the country.
The Director-General of the NEPC, Dr. Nonye Ayeni, disclosed this while presenting the First Quarter Progress Report on the Non-oil export performance for 2025.
Ayeni said in Kogi State, farmers benefited from oil palm seedlings as a start-up seed intervention to boost exports.
“In Akure, over 2,000 cocoa seedlings were distributed to farmers for the planting season.
“In Gusau, Zamfara State, groundnut seedlings were distributed to eight communities for cluster farming in the state.
“Also, in Bayelsa State, the council distributed 1,500 hybrid cocoa seedlings”, she said.
Ayeni further that 1,100 coffee seedlings and 100 bags of organic fertiliser were distributed to 148 coffee farmers from Chaha and Vom Communities in Plateau State.
The Director-General said NEPC was committed to ensuring conformity to quality and standards to curb rejects and reduce contract cancellation.
According to her, on this note, the council, working with International Trade Center (ITC) Geneva, has validated the baseline study for sesame and cowpea value chains.
Ayeni said the council was selected as one of four Business Support Organisations in the world and only one in Africa, to implement phase one of the Women Exporters in Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund.
“This 50-million dollars fund, launched in February 2024 by Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will support Women-led Businesses to participate actively in global digital trade
“Applications have begun in earnest and we encourage every women-led business to apply”, she said.
The Director General said that to facilitate the ease of doing business and seamless documentation processes, the council registered a total of 1,129 new exporters.
She also noted that 16 exit points were used in the period under review to export non-oil products from Nigeria.
She added that approximately 95 per cent of the total non-oil exports were routed through seaports.
According to her, in total, six seaports, three international airports and seven land borders served as exit points for Nigeria’s non-oil exports.
Ayeni said the council would continue to strengthen its relationship with developmental partners and trade organisations.

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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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