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SMEDAN Seeks Adequate Funding For MSMEs

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10 years ago

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The Small and Medium En
terprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has called on the Federal Government to provide adequate intervention fund for the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
The Director-General of SMEDAN, Alhaji Bature Masari, made the call at a news forum in Abuja on Sunday.
“A huge amount of money is definitely needed for the millions of unemployed Nigerians, both graduates and the illiterates to be able to get employment in the MSME sector,’’ he said.
He said proper funding of MSMEs was the only avenue to tackle unemployment in the country.
Masari explained that with adequate funding, SMEDAN would achieve its objectives, especially now that the present administration had promised to tackle the issue of unemployment.
The agency’s mandate, according to its enabling Act of 2003, includes initiation and articulation of policy ideas for micro, small and medium enterprises growth and development nationwide.
“We are already working hard to see that MSMEs in Nigeria are properly positioned to provide effective service to Nigerians.
“Through MSMEs, the agency will be able to provide employment opportunities to ensure there is poverty reduction in the country.
“This will also ensure that crimes associated with unemployment and poverty is properly and drastically eradicated,’’ he said.
Masari said the agency was using the state and donor offices to identify Nigerians willing to go into enterprises creation and development.
“That is the only way to provide employment in Nigeria, because no government in the world has been able to provide employment for its teeming populace without employing the services of MSMEs.
“It is only in entrepreneurship that you have abundant employment opportunities.
“The millions of unemployed graduates in Nigeria and other illiterates and semi illiterates who are yeaning for employment have opportunities in the MSMEs sector.
“There are opportunities in Nigeria in every locality you go to in Nigeria; we have abundant opportunities,’’ he said.
The director, however, called on the government to beef up its intervention.
According to him, the agency has undertaken product identification in every local government area in Nigeria.
“We conducted a survey in every local government, where we brought major stakeholders in every local government and were able to select products that were mass produced and have a very long value chain.
“This will help Nigerians to key into the various value chains of the product in their locality.
“It will help them set up enterprises that will provide employment to them and people who may not be able to access funds for the establishment of enterprises,’’ Masari said.
He said the agency also provided linkages to sources of finance for Nigerians to be able to set up their enterprises.

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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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