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NEXIM Gives N5bn Intervention To Non-Oil Sector

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11 years ago

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The Nigerian Export and
Import Bank (NEXIM) has said that it made five billion naira financial intervention available to some key sectors of the economy.
The NEXIM Managing Director, Mr Robert Orya, who  made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Abuja  said the bank had created lots of wealth and alleviated poverty through its intervention in the last four years, adding that it generated 24,000 jobs through its intervention fund.
Orya reiterated the determination of the bank to ensure that it attracted N51.2 billion through its activities annually.
The managing director said the bank gave N35.6 billion intervention to non-oil sector, and also guaranteed 27.3 million dollars about N4.3 billion to beneficiaries in the sectors.
“ If you convert these two amounts of money together, it would be around N39.9 billion and that has created a lot of jobs for Nigeria.
“This is capable of generating an estimated foreign exchange of 320.12 million dollars annually,” he said.
“We decide to choose manufacturing, agro-processes, solid minerals and services, which include tourism, transportation and entertainment industry.
“Due to paucity of fund, the bank decides to choose four strategic sectors that we know can generate employment and alleviate poverty,’’ he said.
He said the best way to develop the Nigeria’s economy was to give necessary fillip to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sectors.
“In view of this, the bank has put in place structures to enhance the growth of SMEs in the country.
“From day one, I always say that if we want to move our economy forward considering its structure, the emphasis should be on the development of SMEs,” he said.
Orya said one of the things the bank did was to set up business development services to assist SMEs that had good idea but did not know how to put them in a bankable form.
He said over 90 per cent of the intervention made was for the SMEs because that was where small jobs could be created.
The managing director said it was the SMEs that could make meaningful impact in the life of rural dwellers and make them less dependent on others.
According to him, the bank focuses mainly on SMEs that have element of export; NEXIM bank is focused on export-oriented SMEs.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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1 day 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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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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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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