General News
TGI Group Shines with CIPM, NECA Awards

It was triple honours for Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group, a global conglomerate and leading contributor to the Nigerian economy, at the recent award ceremony of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and the maiden Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) 2020 Employers’ Excellence Awards.
TGI Group shone brightly by winning two highly coveted prizes at the 2021 CIPM Awards.
Rahul Savara, the Group Managing Director of TGI, the parent company of WACOT Rice Limited and TGI Distri, won the “People First CEO Award” for his support to employees and ensuring business continuity, while the Group took the “People First Safety Award for Organisations” for its commitment to its employees and communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
CIPM, the governing Human Resources body in Nigeria, organised the Awards in collaboration with the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, a leading organisation for safety and health professionals worldwide.
The awards were given to TGI Group and its GMD at the CIPM People First and Safety Awards to recognise and celebrate heroes and organisations that prioritised the well-being of employees during the pandemic.
TGI Group also won the Agro/Allied Services Award at the NECA event held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. The NECA award is geared toward promoting and encouraging best practices in corporate performance, people management and industrial relations practices among employers in Nigeria.
Commenting on the awards, Rafiat Gawat, TGI Group’s Head of Corporate Communications, expressed delight for the triple honours. She said that they affirmed the Group’s commitment to excellence and staff welfare.
Gawat noted that despite the challenges of 2020, TGI lived up to its responsibilities to employees and communities across Nigeria.
TGI, she added, remains committed to driving inclusivity and value addition using locally sourced raw materials, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, and a highly skilled workforce to produce world-class products consumed locally and exported to global markets.
Gawat further said: “Indeed, 2020 was a challenging year globally given the pandemic and the imperative of sustaining business continuity across our Group. We are thankful for this recognition of our GMD, Rahul Savara, and every Tropical General Investments Group associate.
They have worked tirelessly to ensure business continuity despite the challenges. To all our staff, we say thank you for your contributions as we continue to rely on your support for our existence and growth. We also want to assure both the CIPM and NECA that we will not relent in maintaining excellence as the gold standard of our operations while prioritising staff welfare”.
In addition to seeing to the welfare of its employees, the TGI Group also donated food items worth several millions of Naira to the Lagos State Food Bank in 2020.
General News
NITDA Deepens Digital Gender Inclusion with IgniteHer Bootcamp

In a powerful demonstration of its commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has launched the second cohort of the IgniteHer Bootcamp for Women Entrepreneurs, a strategic initiative aimed at accelerating gender inclusion and economic empowerment through digital innovation.
The bootcamp, themed “Empowering Women Entrepreneurs for Growth and Innovation”, was launched in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and brought together selected women entrepreneurs from across Nigeria, both physically and virtually, for rigorous training in digital skills, innovation management, business development, and investor readiness.
The NITDA Director General, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, who declared the bootcamp open, reaffirmed the Agency’s role in aligning Nigeria’s digital development with the national priorities of reforming the economy for sustained inclusive growth and accelerating economic diversification through industrialisation and digitisation.
“Through IgniteHer, we are actualising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by expanding women’s access to technology and economic opportunity,” he stated.
The DG, who was represented by the agency’s Acting Director of the Digital Literacy and Capacity Building department, Dr. Ahmed Tambuwal, noted that inclusive innovation is a cornerstone of NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0: 2024–2027), which supports national aspirations for inclusive growth, poverty eradication, and youth empowerment.
“We are not merely imparting skills; we are creating self-reliant entrepreneurs, change-makers, and leaders,” he added.
Inuwa disclosed that the IgniteHer Bootcamp is also a key component of the National Gender Digital Inclusion Strategy (NGDIS), through which NITDA is working to empower 12.7 million Nigerian women with digital literacy skills by 2027. He averred that the programme complements broader government efforts to bridge gender gaps, enhance productivity, and reduce unemployment, especially among young women.
Citing a report by the World Wide Web Foundation, the DG emphasised that closing the digital gender gap in Nigeria could unlock an estimated $13 billion in GDP growth over the next decade.
“This training is a step towards harnessing this economic potential and ensuring that women play an integral role in shaping the digital landscape of Nigeria,” he noted.
He therefore called on participants selected from over 12,000 applicants to seize the moment and shape the future of Nigerian entrepreneurship.
While highlighting NITDA’s leadership in strategic partnerships, the DG commended JICA and the Government of Japan for their ongoing collaboration in supporting digital empowerment through programmes like IgniteHer and the iHatch Incubation Programme, which provides startup support, mentorship, and innovation development to early-stage entrepreneurs.
“At NITDA, we believe that inclusive innovation is not just an ideal but a critical strategy that ensures the growth of a stronger economy, the development of smarter solutions, and the existence of more resilient communities. Through IgniteHer, we are dismantling barriers and replacing them with pathways to opportunity,” he concluded.
In his remarks, the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, reaffirmed Japan’s long-standing commitment to innovation and gender inclusion in Nigeria. He announced that Japan, through JICA, is currently supporting two grant projects worth $30.9 million, focused on improving Nigeria’s startup ecosystem, strengthening the investment climate, and building an inclusive innovation hub.
The Ambassador also referenced the upcoming Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), themed “Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa”, as further testament to Japan’s dedication to deepening Africa-Japan cooperation on digital transformation and entrepreneurship.
Lead Facilitator of IgniteHer, Hajiya Hafsat Salabi-Dange, described the programme as a catalyst for social and economic transformation. While praising NITDA’s visionary approach to development, she stated that the programme is a movement that is bridging the digital gender divide and fostering economic independence.
Encouraging the participants to remain curious, intentional, and bold, she said, “What you will gain here goes beyond business; it is a tool for community upliftment, national growth, and generational impact.”
General News
NAF, NIGCOMSAT to Boost Nigeria’s Security with Satellite Technology

Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited have entered into a strategic alliance aimed at advancing operational effectiveness, sovereignty, and sustainability through space-based innovations.
This was during a courtesy visit by Jane Egerton-Idehen, managing director and chief executive officer of NIGCOMSAT, to Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, chief of the Air Staff (CAS), at the NAF Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, August 7, 2025.
According to Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, director of Public Relations and Information, Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force, discussions during the meeting focused on leveraging NIGCOMSAT’s satellite capabilities to enhance the NAF’s mission-critical functions, particularly in the areas of secure communication, real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
Both parties acknowledged that the future of national defence lies in digital dominance and home-grown technological solutions.
Abubakar stressed the urgent need for indigenous systems to support the evolving demands of modern air operations.
“We must continually seek innovative ways to improve our capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign systems.
Strategic collaboration with institutions like NIGCOMSAT is essential to ensure secure communication and real-time situational awareness across our theatres of operation,” the CAS said.
In her remarks, Egerton-Idehen praised the Air Force’s proactive approach and expressed NIGCOMSAT’s readiness to support the military with tailored satellite solutions that align with national security objectives.
“This partnership is not only timely but critical in strengthening Nigeria’s digital defence infrastructure.
NIGCOMSAT stands ready to deploy its expertise in support of the Nigerian Air Force and contribute meaningfully to national security,” she said.
Both organisations reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing Nigeria’s security architecture through the use of indigenous space technologies.
General News
FG Announces New Fossil Fuel Tax

Federal government has announced it will impose a new 5 percent refined fossil fuel tax from January.
The surcharge, which has been signed into law by President Bola Tinubu to encourage clean energy use, could raise more than half a billion dollars annually.
The fee will apply to petrol and diesel, while cooking gas and compressed natural gas — which the government has tried to promote — are exempted.
Nonprofit group ActionAid Nigeria said the policy will “disproportionately impact the poor” and deepen inequality, noting that Nigerians have not recovered from the inflationary effect of the removal of fuel subsidies in 2023.
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