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Hope Dims For Recovery Of Global Manufacture Sector

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13 years ago

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New setbacks have weakened the prospect for global manufacturing recovery, the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) report said on Monday.

The report made available to newsmen at the UN Headquarters in New York, noted that growth in the sector remained sluggish in the third quarter of 2012.

The report said that with the output rising by 2.2 per cent compared with the same quarter in 2011, the lowest rate since 2009.

It noted that the trend for the first half of 2012 were a mixture of dynamic growth in North America, East Asia and developing countries, and uncertainty in Europe

The UNIDO report said that the manufacturing in African countries, which depended heavily on the export of primary processed commodities to Europe, had also slowed down.

“ Based on limited data, UNIDO estimates that the manufacturing output of African countries as a group rose by just 2.6 per cent. South Africa showed a rise of 2.9 per cent, but Egypt’s output fell by 5.9 per cent,’’ the report stated.

According to the report, the latest production data indicated “a stronger recession in Europe and a weakened recovery in North America and East Asia as well as a sustained slowdown in developing countries.’’

“Industrialised countries as a group have experienced a decrease in industrial production for the first time since 2009.

“UNIDO estimates show that during the third quarter, manufacturing output dropped in all major euro-zone economies compared with the same quarter in the previous year.

“Germany experienced a fall of 1.7 per cent, Italy 6.2 per cent, France 1.9 per cent and the UK 0.9 per cent,’’ the report added.

It said that Austria, Malta and Slovakia were among the few nations registering positive growth.

The report also noted that manufacturing output in Japan decreased by 4.6 per cent, while it grew by 4.1 per cent in the U.S. and by 0.3 per cent in Russia.

It pointed out that compared with industrialised countries, the rate of industrial growth of developing countries remained high and that the impact of global contraction was clear.

The UNIDO report added that the manufacturing output of developing countries grew by 6.6 per cent in the third quarter, compared with the same quarter in 2011, but fell by 2.3 per cent compared with the second quarter.

It further explained that manufacturing output in China grew year-on-year by 9.2 per cent, in Mexico by 4.1 per cent and in Turkey by 3.3 per cent.

It said that India achieved a nominal growth of 0.2 per cent but manufacturing output fell in Latin American countries.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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18 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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18 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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18 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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