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Cocoa Farmers Harp On FG’s Support For Climate-smart Agriculture

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6 months ago

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Cocoa farmers have stated the need for the federal and state governments to improve support to research institutes to increase adoption of climate smart Agricultural practices by farmers.
The farmers said this in a communique issued at the end of its National Cocoa festival organised by the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) and Cocoa Roundtable Initiative (CORI).
The meeting was organised to deliberate on achieving European Union Deforestation (EUDR) compliance and cocoa value chain sustainability through youth entrepreneurship.
The cocoa festival was attended by government agencies, research institutes, farmers in cocoa producing states, processors among others.
The objective of the festival, according to the organisers, was to provide a comprehensive overview of the EUDR  and its implications on Nigeria’s cocoa industry, to develop strategies for mapping of land under cocoa cultivation to establish traceability, monitoring deforestation and encourage sustainable practices in cocoa supply chains in order to achieve total due diligence in the Nigerian cocoa sector.
Other objective is to foster partnerships among stakeholders to support deforestation-free cocoa production and protect the ecosystem.
It’s also to clarify roles/responsibilities of National Cocoa Management Committee (NCMC), government agencies, cocoa farmers, buyers, processors, exporters and other stakeholders.
The farmers recommended that government should introduce policy on agroforestry practices in cocoa farming and that stakeholders need to develop an effective mechanism for collaboration and feedback collection from the industry players.
The participants called on the government to ensure an enabling environment for private sectors and youth participation in cocoa value chain for sustainability.
Some of the challenges identified at the meeting include, the low local consumption of cocoa products, lack of accurate data on cocoa production and cocoa value chain, knowledge gap about EUDR and other relevant regulations among the farmers and stakeholders.
Also, they noted that farmers are faced with soil degradation, pests and diseases, post harvesting processing infrastructures, access to low digit financing, among others.
The communique also recommended for improved effort on infrastructure development in rural areas where cocoa is grown and that there should be policy interventions to stabilize naira and make it easier for farmers to access foreign exchange for essential imports.
The communiques further stressed that NCMC should collaborate and partner with leading countries in cocoa business, learn their strategies and work closely with them for sustainable growth of the industry.
“Government and Millennium Development Agencies (MDAs) should create platforms and attractive opportunities for youths to learn cocoa value chain businesses such as making of soap, chocolates, and cocoa powder in collaboration with the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria as this is crucial to ensuring sustainability of the industry”, it stated.
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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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9 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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