The Federal Government has pledged full support for the 2025 Stockholm Junior Water Prize Competition aimed at fostering innovation in water and environmental management among young Nigerians.
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, said this on Thursday during a Press Conference in Abuja to announce the call for applications for the 2025 Stockholm Junior Water Prize Competition in Nigeria.
Shettima who was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, said the competition will get the younger generation between the ages of 15 to 20 acquainted with problems and challenges associated with water at their tender age.
Earlier, the Head of Political and Trade Affairs, Embassy of Sweden, in Abuja, Fredrik Åhsberg, explained that “the prestigious international competition organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute aims to engage young minds in addressing global water challenges.”
He said the call for participation in Nigeria, which runs from March 27 to May 2, 2025, is open to qualified candidates who are invited to apply for the competition’s regional finals which will be followed by a national final that will take place at the Swedish Embassy in Abuja later in the year.
On his part, the National Coordinator of the Nigeria Stockholm Junior Water Prize, Ikechukwu Chinemerem, said the competition is for secondary and tertiary school students between the ages of 15 and 20 to write projects on water-related issues and how it could be solved.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating digital trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), urging global partners to support its efforts in expanding market access and economic growth.
Speaking on Thursday at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Aid for Trade Session in Geneva, Switzerland, Special Assistant to the President on Export Expansion, Aliyu Bunu Sheriff, said Nigeria is well positioned as a regional digital trade hub.
Sheriff explained that in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI UK), Nigeria has launched a series of high-impact workshops aimed at streamlining trade processes, enhancing state-level exports, and leveraging digital identity and payment systems for cross-border commerce.
The Nigerian Vice President called on the WTO, development partners, and private sector stakeholders to invest in broadband infrastructure, support MSME capacity-building, and facilitate seamless cross-border digital payments. He added that Nigeria is not just participating in Africa’s digital trade transformation, but leading it.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
