News
NYSC Director-General Assures South Sudan Delegates of Support
The Director General of National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Muhammad Kaku Fadah has assured the people of South Sudan of the readiness of the Scheme to support the country in its quest to replicate the National Youth Service Corps programme in South Sudan.
Brigadier General Fadah gave the assurance on Friday when the South Sudanese delegates led by the Sudanese Honourable Minister of Federal Affairs, Hon Losuba Ludoru paid a visit to the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, Abuja.
The Director General who described the visit as historic said the NYSC has been a veritable tool for national development since its inauguration in 1973.
According to him, the Scheme remains Africa’s oldest surviving Scheme which has continued to live up to expectations and has well stood the test of time and if replicated in Sudan, which has similar civil war history like Nigeria, it will go a long way to further unite the various ethnic groups in the country.
Speaking further, Fadah said the Scheme is worthy of emulation as youths are at the center stage of every developing nation and the need to equip them with national ideals and skills cannot be over-emphasized.
The NYSC Director General thanked the visiting delegates for finding the NYSC as a reference and called on them to visit the National Directorate Headquarters as the Scheme is ever ready to render all necessary assistance at all times.
Earlier, the spokesman of the Sudanese delegates, Hon Losuba Ludoru said they were in the country to understudy Nigeria’s Federal System as well as the operations of the NYSC for replication in their country.
According to the spokesman, South Sudan has a huge youth population and has just come out of civil war not long ago, hence the need to replicate the NYSC in Sudan will assist in youth management for national growth and self reliance.
Speaking further, he said Nigeria is a big brother in the African continent that has supported Sudan in the wake of the Sudanese civil war and the country holds Nigeria in very high esteem.
Honourable Losuba Lobaru thanked the Director General and his management team for the warm reception accorded them.
Highpoint of the visit was the presentation of a paper titled; “Nigeria’s Federalism and Youth Mobilisation for National building”, by the NYSC Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Alhaji Ahmed Wada Ikaka.
News
AWESSA 2026: Customs Assures Border Cooperation for Women Entrepreneurs
By James Samuel, Abuja
The Nigeria Customs Service has said the nation’s borders must become gateways of opportunity for African women entrepreneurs, not obstacles that kill their businesses.
This was disclosed at the African Women’s Economic Sovereignty Summit and Awards (AWESSA) 2026 held at the Customs House, corporate headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service in Abuja.
Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, his representative, an Assistant Controller, said hosting the summit inside Customs premises was deliberate.
“That this summit holds within the Customs premises is no accident. It is a statement of intent,” he said.
“The border is where the promise of every African trader either comes alive or dies quietly. And the men and women of this Service have resolved that for every woman entrepreneur of this continent, that promise will never die.”
He said women account for an estimated 70% of informal cross-border trade in Africa and over half of agricultural labour, yet they face documentation, standards, finance and harassment challenges.
“Too often she meets the border as an obstacle rather than a gateway. Because she trades in small volumes, in cash, in informality without formal papers, capable business women are now trapped in informality, invisible to trade statistics,” he noted.
He added: “AfCFTA will not be delivered by treaties alone. It will be delivered at border posts, in conference halls, and in market stores.”
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, represented by a Director, said women are central to Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.
According to her, NEPC’s focus is now on building export- ready competitive enterprises through programmes like the Women in Export Initiative, Export Clinic, and Zero to Export.
“Our focus is no longer on encouraging exports alone, it is on building competitive export-ready enterprises. We are supporting women to move beyond production into value addition, quality assurance, standard compliance, branding and market positioning,” she said.
She said AfCFTA offers a market of over one billion people, but women need knowledge, certifications and institutional support.
“Empowering women economically is one of the most effective tools for achieving poverty reduction, food security, job creation and inclusive growth,” she stated.
The Convener, Helen Okon, who is the Publisher of Business Review Africa & Africa Today Magazine, as well as representatives of NAFDAC DG and NEXIM Bank MD, reaffirmed commitment to supporting women-owned businesses access standards, certification and finance.
The summit, with the theme of positioning women as drivers of trade and sustainable development, is part of activities marking the International Year of the Women Farmer.
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