General
Nigeria Seeks Effective Pan African Quality Policy
The need for a robust and effective Pan African Quality Policy to drive the attainment of Africa’s development goals, which are closely aligned with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, has been emphasised by Nigeria.
Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Edet Sunday Akpan, made this call on behalf of the country while presenting a keynote address at the opening of a two-day consultative workshop for developing a Pan-African Quality Policy held recently at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
He noted that the need to develop a Pan-African Quality Policy was derived from AGENDA 2063 of the African Union: the blueprint and master plan for transforming the continent into a global powerhouse of the future.
Speaking on the Standardization and Quality Infrastructure experts from Central, North and West Africa, Mr Akpan stated that the presence of quality infrastructure was essential for a mutually beneficial, free movement of goods and services across national, regional and continental borders. These he said, are however contingent upon clear and approved quality policy documents at National, Regional and Continental levels for proper guidance.
The Permanent Secretary stated that Africa’s flagship programmes are technology based and futuristic in design against the background of the fourth industrial revolution, adding that the sustainability strongly depends on adherence to standards and quality.
Mr Akpan said the coming into effect of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement further emphasises the need for the development of a robust Pan-African Quality policy document to ensure synergy, reduce duplication of efforts, ensure harmonization of standards and conformity assessment procedures in order to position Africa towards becoming a dominant player in the global arena.
He disclosed that a draft Nigerian National Quality Policy document coordinated by his Ministry was awaiting the approval of the Federal Executive Council and enumerated Nigeria’s strides in the harmonization of standards and conformity assessment procedures within the Economic Community of West African States and the Continent under the auspices of the African Organization for Standardization (ARSO).
Nigeria, he stated, was proud to host the consultative workshop on the draft of a Pan-African Quality Policy for West, North and Central Africa with the objective of harmonizing the outcomes with a similar workshop in Nairobi Kenya held on 22nd and 23rd July for East and Southern Africa.
Mr Akpan then requested the diligent contribution of the individual and collective expertise of the delegates in developing a robust and effective Pan-African Quality Policy document to position Africa.
In his remarks at the occasion, Chairperson of the Pan African Quality Infrastructure, Dr Hermogene Nsegimana, invited the experts from Central, North and West Africa to take ownership of the draft quality policy document to meet the aspirations of the continent in substantially increasing intra-African Trade as well as promoting greater competitiveness of made-in-Africa products with the rest of the world.
He expressed regret that it took about 27 years after the African Union resolution on the need for the development of a Pan African Quality Policy document.
However, he commended the massive representation by experts from member states of the AU, describing the coincidence of the workshop with the coming into effect of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement as timely.
Welcoming the participants earlier, Director General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Mr Osita Aboloma, enumerated some of the quality infrastructure projects already delivered by his organisation.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, has announced that Nigeria will launch a new alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, 2026, with every home expected to have a unique postcode.
Mr Tijani disclosed the development in a video post on X, describing the new system as a more precise and digitally oriented approach to addressing locations across the country.
He said the initiative would mark a significant shift in Nigeria’s postal addressing system by assigning unique postcodes to individual homes.
The initiative marks a major step in Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda. By replacing the outdated numeric-only system, the alphanumeric codes provide a more flexible and scalable framework that can accommodate the country’s rapid urban growth and diverse settlement patterns.
For emphasis, an alphanumeric postcode system is a postal indexing system that uses a combination of both letters (alpha) and numbers (numeric), along with spaces or punctuation, to identify specific geographic locations, streets, or individual buildings for mail delivery.
Unlike purely numeric postcode systems (such as the 5-digit US ZIP Code or 5-digit codes used in some European countries), alphanumeric codes offer a much higher number of unique combinations using fewer total characters. This flexibility allows postal authorities to pinpoint locations with incredible precision, often down to a single side of a street or a specific large building.
“On October 1st 2026 Nigeria’s new Alphanumeric Postcode System goes live,” Mr Tijani said.
“For the first time, every home will be assigned a unique postcode that’s simple, precise and built for a digital future,” he added.
The minister urged Nigerians to prepare to generate their individual postcodes ahead of the launch.
The new system is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s digital addressing infrastructure and improve the identification and location of homes and properties for postal and other location-based services.
The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) as part of broader efforts to modernise the country’s addressing and digital infrastructure.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, has been directed to give an account to Nigerians on how the current government has fared since its inception on May 29, 2023.
This directive was given by President Bola Tinubu in a message posted on his verified social media handles on Wednesday.
This coincides with the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential election scheduled for January 16.
According to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), candidates seeking to become the country’s president are eligible to kick off their campaigns from today, Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
In his message today, Mr Tinubu said, “When we began this journey of reform in 2023, I promised that the difficult decisions we were making would serve the purpose of building an economy that works better for you and a country that is stronger for our children.
“Today, your government presents The Reforms Scorecard. It sets out what our reforms have achieved, what they have cost us, and the greater costs and harms we have prevented by acting when we did.
“I have therefore directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to give an account to Nigerians, to explain the numbers, the choices we have made, the progress recorded, and the work that remains.
“You deserve to see the numbers. You deserve to know what has changed and what these reforms mean for you, your family, your business and our country.
“This is your government. This is your country. This is our account to you.”
Shortly after he took the oath of office over three years ago, President Tinubu declared that subsidies on petroleum products were gone. He later approved foreign exchange (FX) reforms, which devalued the Nigerian Naira, shooting from about N800 per Dollar to nearly N2,000 per Dollar. However, it is currently slightly above N1,340 per Dollar in the official market.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE) Limited are advancing discussions on the development of deepwater assets estimated to hold 500 million barrels of oil reserves.
The development followed a meeting between the chief executive of the state oil company, Mr Bayo Ojulari, and Agip’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Maurizio Pinna, in Abuja.
The talks focused on ongoing work on deepwater acreage jointly held by NNPC, NAE and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) as well as plans to bring the associated resources into production.
According to NNPC, the acreage comprises the Zabazaba and Etan deepwater fields, with estimated reserves of about 500 million barrels.
The fields are located in Nigeria’s deepwater terrain and are considered significant to the country’s efforts to expand its upstream oil production base, particularly as operators seek to advance projects capable of delivering additional barrels over the medium to long term.
While details of the expected production timeline were not disclosed, the meeting underscores renewed industry focus on unlocking Nigeria’s deepwater resources and growing crude oil production.
The acreage comprises licences converted from OPL 245 and is operated by NAE in partnership with NNPC Limited and SNEPCo.
Mr Ojulari and Mr Pinna also reviewed the work currently underway on the assets and the expected production outlook, with the discussions centred on advancing deepwater development.
The engagement comes amid renewed efforts to attract investment into Nigeria’s offshore petroleum resources and increase national oil production.
