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‘UK-Africa Investment Summit’ll Boost Nigeria’s FDI’

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6 years ago

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British Deputy High Commissioner in Nigeria, Ms Harriet Thompson has said the inaugural UK-Africa Investment Summit, which kicked off, yesterday in London, is part of measures to strengthen Nigeria’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Thompson explained that the summit, organised by United Kingdom government, is designed to create new, long-term partnership that will deliver more investment and jobs in Nigeria and Africa at large.
She noted that the global market for FDI was highly competitive and Nigeria is not where it should be.
According to her, investment in the country is around 12 to 14 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is far below what it is in most developing countries.
Thompson added that the UK has brought an impressive private sector expertise to bear on technology, agriculture, services, manufacturing and other areas, promising that more businesses would be coming over time.
The summit, which will showcase the investment opportunities in Nigeria, will bring together British and African businesses to harness the huge potential of the continent when it comes to trade, deliver more investment, jobs and growth to benefit people and businesses across Africa and the UK.
Thompson noted that Nigeria would play a critical role in the success of the summit as President Muhammadu Buhari will head the Nigerian delegation to the event.
The deputy high commissioner posited that the investment summit was an opportunity for Nigeria to make a speech among the 300 British companies including some other top most 700 companies at the highest level, assuring that it was Nigeria’s chance to show its skill, commercial activities that are out there and its ability to diversify the economy away from oil and gas.
Also, speaking on the summit, Head of Department for International Development in Nigeria (DFID), Chris Pycroft, added that 21 African countries will participate.
“With the bilateral trade between the UK and Nigeria which reached £5.1bn in 2018 (N2.3 trillion), the new investments coming into the country, will boost trade,” he said.
Pycroft noted that Nigeria has a long standing trade relationship with the UK, as many UK businesses successfully operate in Nigeria.
He recalled that the British Airways first flight from the UK to Nigeria was 81 years ago, adding Diageo/Guinness will be 70 in Nigeria this year and that Shell, PZ Cussons and Unilever have strong and long-established operations in Nigeria.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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21 hours 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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21 hours 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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21 hours 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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