Travel News

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has identified crude oil sourcing, single-source domestic refining, logistics and transportation costs among factors driving volatility in fuel pump prices.

Head of Public Affairs, NMDPRA, Mr George Ene-Ita, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday.

Ene-Ita described the issues surrounding continuous fuel price increases as knotty, adding that fuel prices had been completely deregulated and were, therefore, subject to market volatility.

He said the sourcing of crude oil as feedstock and the time lag between crude procurement and arrival at refineries were factored into product pricing.

According to him, marine and inland taxes associated with the movement and supply of petroleum products were also factored into the pricing.

“This issue is knotty in the sense that there are various factors involved.

“Pump price of petrol has been completely deregulated. And if this is the case, it also means that all volatilities associated with supply have to be factored in.

“These factors include single-source domestic refining, sourcing of crude oil as feedstock, time lag between when crude is sourced offshore and when it eventually arrives at the refinery.

“They also include time lag between when PMS cargoes are ordered and when they eventually arrive our ports for subsequent inland distribution and supply in the case of imported fuel.

“There are also transportation and landing costs, as well as marine and inland taxes.

“Perhaps when the domestic refining ecosystem becomes more robust, competitive and sustainable, the issues regarding pricing will become clearer and more beneficial to consumers,” he said.

Ene-Ita said refinery pricing templates and ex-depot prices were not regulated under the current framework.

He, however, said NMDPRA was collaborating with stakeholders and agencies such as the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to ensure price equilibrium and parity at the last mile.

NAN reports that the current market price for Brent crude oil is $96.28 per barrel, driven by the ongoing geopolitical conflict and tensions in the Middle East.

The pump price of fuel currently ranges between N1,299 and N1,350 in the FCT, following an upward adjustment in the gantry (ex-depot) price by the Dangote Refinery, which ranges between N1,265 and N1,290 per litre.

Motorists and consumers have expressed concern over the continued rise in fuel pump prices, saying it has worsened hardship, inflation and the high cost of living.

Reacting to this, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria urged the Federal Government to intervene in crude oil pricing for domestic refining to moderate fuel prices and ease pressure on consumers.

IPMAN President, Maigandi Garima, told NAN that the current international crude oil market posed challenges to domestic petrol pricing because refiners had to procure crude at prevailing market prices.

Garima said higher crude oil prices translated into higher production costs for refiners, who would subsequently pass the additional cost to the market.

He called for government intervention to reduce the cost of crude supplied to domestic refineries during periods of international market volatility.

According to him, such intervention should not be interpreted as a return to fuel subsidy, but as a temporary measure to support domestic refining and reduce pressure on consumers.

“What we are saying is that if Nigerians can make this huge investment, we should support them. Government can intervene by reducing the cost of crude oil to the refinery.

“When the refinery refines the product at a lower cost, it can also reduce the price for Nigerians, and this will help the economy,” he said.

Garima also called for a more predictable crude oil pricing arrangement for domestic refineries, saying frequent fluctuations made it difficult to sustain stable fuel prices.

He urged the government and relevant stakeholders to explore mechanisms that would provide a more stable crude supply and pricing framework for domestic refining.

He said such an arrangement would enable domestic refineries to plan better and potentially provide more stable prices for petroleum products. (NAN)

Nigerians in the United Kingdom have been advised not to pay any additional fees beyond the official passport charges while taking part in the ongoing special passport intervention exercise.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, gave the clarification following concerns over possible extra charges associated with the intervention programme being offered to Nigerians in the UK.

Tunji-Ojo, through his Special Adviser, Alao Babatunde, explained in a statement on Monday that the exercise was introduced to give Nigerians in the UK an alternative and more convenient way to process their international passports.

He said the intervention became necessary because of the difficulties and inconveniences Nigerians had experienced while trying to access passport services.

The minister stressed that neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had approved additional charges for the exercise.

“It is therefore necessary to clarify that this process does not come with extra cost different from the official fees of $150 and $230 for a five-year and ten-year validity passports respectively, exclusive of bank charges,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo urged applicants to be wary of anyone demanding payments outside the approved fees, noting that the government had not introduced any other charges for the passport intervention.

“Neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Nigeria Immigration Service has introduced any other charges outside the aforementioned,” the minister added.

He also disclosed that discussions were ongoing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address challenges encountered by Nigerians during the passport application process and prevent such difficulties from continuing.

According to the minister, the Federal Government remains committed to improving services for Nigerians both within the country and abroad.

“This government has demonstrated high level of responsibility to Nigerians home and abroad, and remains committed to its promises of providing succour to all,” he said.

Applicants in the UK were further encouraged to use the contactless biometric passport application system as part of efforts to make the process more seamless and reduce the need for applicants to undergo unnecessary procedures.

The special intervention exercise is expected to provide additional access to passport services for Nigerians in the UK while authorities work to resolve the challenges that prompted the initiative.

Nigerian-born global tourism investment promoter and Project Director of the Future Africa Trade and Investment Expo, Amb. Phil Roberts, has concluded a series of strategic engagements in Zanzibar, Tanzania, aimed at strengthening partnerships in tourism, trade and investment across Africa.

Roberts, who holds the Fellowships of the Chartered Institute of Strategic Management (FCISM) and Institute of Hospitality, Security and Development (FIHSD), participated in high-level engagements with key tourism stakeholders during his visit.

A major highlight of the visit was an engagement with the Zanzibar Institute for Tourism Development, where discussions focused on knowledge exchange and capacity building in the African tourism sector.

The engagement explored opportunities for strengthening professional skills and developing human capacity to support the growth and competitiveness of Africa’s tourism industry.

Roberts also held bilateral discussions with officials of the Zanzibar Ministry of Tourism and Heritage as part of preparations for the Future Africa Trade and Investment Expo scheduled to take place in Zanzibar.The meetings were aimed at deepening institutional collaboration and creating opportunities for tourism, trade and investment stakeholders to connect across African markets.

The Future Africa Trade and Investment Expo is scheduled for November 5 to 9, 2026, at the Golden Tulip Airport Hotel in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

The expo is expected to provide a platform for African businesses, investors, tourism operators, policymakers and development stakeholders to explore partnerships, investment opportunities and cross-border trade.

According to the organisers, the initiative is designed to promote Africa as an integrated investment and tourism destination while connecting businesses with local and international partners.

The organisers said the expo would further contribute to building stronger economic relationships among African countries through tourism, trade and investment.

The Zanzibar engagements by Roberts underscore the growing emphasis on regional cooperation and private-sector partnerships as mechanisms for unlocking Africa’s tourism and investment potential.

The Future Africa Trade and Investment Expo, as made known by him, has adopted the theme, “Connecting Africa, Driving Investment, Building Global Partnerships,” reflecting its focus on economic integration and international collaboration.

Ireland has spent nearly €3.9 million ($4.5 million) on charter deportation flights that removed 377 people, including nationals from South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan and fellow EU countries, as the country strengthens enforcement of its immigration laws.

A European island nation spends $4.5 million deporting over 377 people from South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan, Georgia and 3 other countries

• Ireland spent nearly €3.9 million on charter flights to deport 377 people from countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan, Georgia, Romania, Poland, and Lithuania.
• The deportation operations between February 2025 and June 2026 involved major security and logistical costs, with aircraft hire as the largest expense.
• South Africa and Nigeria were among the focus countries, with some deportees having criminal convictions and families with children among those removed.
• Ireland issued a sharp rise in deportation orders—4,700 in 2025—with EU funds supporting associated costs, although voluntary return is still preferred when possible.

Figures from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration show that 10 charter operations carried out between February 2025 and June 2026 returned people to countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan, Georgia, Romania, Poland and Lithuania.

Charter aircraft accounted for the bulk of the spending, costing €3.55 million, while the department spent additional funds on medical teams, commercial travel, flight management and human rights observers.

South Africa flights among most expensive operations

South Africa accounted for two of Ireland’s most expensive deportation operations, with the Department of Justice reporting that a June 19, 2026 charter flight that returned 42 South African nationals cost €735,000 for the aircraft.

The group included nine men, 18 women and 15 children, with all children travelling as part of family units, while Irish authorities said two of those removed had criminal convictions in Ireland.

Earlier, another South Africa-bound charter flight on February 28, 2026, cost €585,075 and returned 63 people, including 54 adults and nine children.

The operation involved 133 Garda officers, with authorities citing security requirements for the large deployment.

Irish officials said those removed had received deportation orders after being found to be living in Ireland without legal permission and failing to take up voluntary return options.

Ireland spent nearly €3.9 million on charter flights to deport 377 people from countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan, Georgia, Romania, Poland, and Lithuania.

Nigeria operations include criminal convictions cases

Beyond South Africa, Nigeria was among the African countries targeted under Ireland’s charter deportation programme.

A Nigeria-bound operation in June 2025 cost €324,714 and returned 35 Nigerian nationals, including 30 adults and five children.

A separate Nigeria operation completed in July 2026 involved six Nigerian men aged between 25 and 40. According to the Department of Justice, five of those removed had a combined 35 criminal convictions for various offences.

The six men were flown from Dublin to Rome before joining a Frontex-managed Joint Return Operation to Nigeria, which later arrived in Lagos.

Pakistan, Georgia and eastern Europe also targeted

Ireland also used charter flights to return people to Pakistan and fellow EU countries Georgia and Romania, as well as Poland and Lithuania.

A September 2025 operation to Pakistan removed 24 people at a cost of €473,000, making it one of the most expensive deportation flights under the programme.

The first charter deportation flight took place in February 2025, when 32 people were returned to Georgia at a cost of €102,476. Two more Georgia operations followed in May and November 2025, costing €103,751 and €187,625 respectively.

Flights to Poland and Lithuania were also carried out in January and May 2026. The January operation cost €187,625, while the May flight returned 34 people and involved 119 Garda escorts.

The increase in charter deportation flights reflects Ireland’s tougher immigration enforcement approach, with 4,700 deportation orders issued in 2025, a 96 per cent increase from the previous year, and a further 2,108 orders signed by June 5, 2026.

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan defended the use of deportation orders, saying enforcement was necessary for Ireland’s immigration system to function effectively.

“The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure there is confidence in the application of our legislation in this area,” O’Callaghan said.

Nigerians are the sixth-largest nationality group in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS).

According to data shared by NHS Million, a not-for-profit organisation, 10,494 Nigerian nationals are among NHS staff, placing Nigeria behind India, the Philippines, Ireland and Poland.

British/UK nationals made up the largest staff group in the NHS, numbering 1,118,116, followed by Indians with 32,117 and Filipinos with 25,423.

Irish nationals ranked fourth with 14,151, while Polish nationals were fifth with 10,520.

Nigerians were followed by Portuguese nationals, who ranked seventh with 7,831 staff, while Italians, Spaniards and Romanians ranked eighth, ninth and 10th, with 6,660, 5,405 and 5,251 staff, respectively.

Pakistanis accounted for 4,902 NHS staff, followed by Zimbabweans with 4,780 and Ghanaians with 3,395.

The data also listed nationals from several other African countries, including South Africa (1,829), Kenya (894), Uganda (648), Sierra Leone (596), Zambia (498), Niger (418), Cameroon (358), Malawi (291), The Gambia (284) and Mauritania (239).

OVERSEAS STAFF REMAIN VITAL TO NHS WORKFORCE

The data highlights the NHS’s continued reliance on overseas workers, despite a slowdown in international recruitment.

According to the UK House of Commons Library, around 325,000 NHS staff in England, representing 21 percent of the workforce, reported a non-British nationality as of June 2025.

The library said NHS staff in England reported more than 200 nationalities, with non-UK nationals accounting for a higher proportion of doctors and nurses than in the overall workforce.

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About 36 percent of doctors and 30 percent of nurses reported a non-UK nationality, compared with 19 percent of NHS staff overall.

The library also said about 138,400 licensed doctors who qualified abroad were working in the UK in 2025, accounting for 42 percent of all licensed doctors.

However, the pace of international recruitment is slowing down.

About 20,100 internationally trained doctors joined the UK medical register in 2024, accounting for 66 percent of new joiners, compared with 19,600 in 2023.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council also recorded a 50 percent fall in overseas-trained nurses, midwives and nursing associates joining its register between April and September 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.

The UK government has also introduced measures to reduce the NHS’s reliance on international recruitment.

The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, which came into force in March, prioritises UK medical graduates and certain other groups for foundation and speciality training places.

The government said the policy is intended to support a more sustainable domestic medical workforce, although it continues to recognise the contribution of international medical graduates to the NHS.

In 2025, the UK also stopped accepting new overseas applications for care worker and senior care worker roles under the health and care worker visa route.

By Deborah Tolu-Kolawole

The Federal Government has backed the launch of a 100-Day Tourism Calendar designed to aggregate Nigeria’s festivals, concerts, cultural events and lifestyle experiences on a single digital platform as part of efforts to unlock a projected $100bn tourism and creative economy.

The calendar, powered by MyCityApp and MyLagosApp, was unveiled at the Ember2Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos, according to Dr. Nneka Anibeze, the Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, on Tuesday.

The initiative is targeted at maximising the economic potential of the September-to-December festive season by connecting visitors, Nigerians in the diaspora and local consumers with events and tourism experiences across the country.

Speaking at the event, Musawa said the government was seeking to move beyond viewing the festive period merely as a season of celebration and instead turn it into a platform for job creation, investment and business opportunities.

Musawa said, “This initiative is about moving beyond the traditional concept of a festive season. It is about deliberately organising, packaging, promoting, and monetising one of the most economically active periods in our national calendar.”

She explained that tourism generated opportunities across several sectors, including aviation, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, retail, technology and the creative industries.

“Every visitor creates a value chain — from aviation and transportation to hotels, restaurants, entertainment, retail, technology, artisans, and local communities. Within these value chains are opportunities for businesses, jobs, investment, and livelihoods,” the minister stated.

Musawa urged state governments, event organisers, tourism operators, hospitality businesses and other stakeholders to upload their activities scheduled between September and December onto the national calendar.

She said the platform was intended to provide a single destination where people could discover tourism and cultural experiences across Nigeria.

“We want to create a single, credible, and compelling platform through which Nigerians, the diaspora, and international visitors can discover what is happening across Nigeria. Imagine someone sitting in London, New York, Johannesburg, or Toronto being able to see, in one place, the extraordinary experiences available across Nigeria,” she said.

The minister commended the Chief Executive Officer of MyCityApp, Ifeoma Chukwu, for driving the initiative and called for broader participation by states and private-sector operators.

Earlier, Chukwu said Nigeria could realistically build a $100bn tourism economy if its cultural assets and visitor experiences were deliberately packaged and monetised. She cited the contribution of tourism to major global economies, arguing that Nigeria’s target should be viewed as achievable rather than unrealistic.

“When we speak about building a $100 billion tourism economy, it may sound ambitious. But globally, the evidence tells us it is achievable,” Chukwu said.

She added, “The question is not whether a $100 billion tourism economy is possible. It is: why not Nigeria?”

The initiative comes as the Federal Government seeks to diversify economic activity beyond oil by expanding the contribution of tourism, culture and the creative industries to national growth.

Nigeria has a large pool of cultural festivals, entertainment events, historical sites and creative enterprises, but the sector has continued to face challenges including fragmented promotion, inadequate infrastructure, weak visitor data and limited coordination among tourism operators.

The new calendar is expected to address part of the visibility and coordination challenge by bringing events from different cities and states together on one digital platform.

The organisers said MyLagosApp and MyCityApp would distribute the events through a 360-degree media ecosystem targeting audiences in Nigeria and abroad.

The platform is expected to feature festivals, concerts, exhibitions, food experiences, cultural celebrations, fashion and sporting events, conferences and other major activities taking place during the period.

Among those at the conference were the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Ugochi Madueke; the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Obi Asika; Director-General of the National Gallery of Art, Ahmed Sodangi; Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, Olalekan Fadolapo; and MTN Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola.

Stakeholders were urged to submit events for inclusion in the calendar through the MyCityApp platform.

…Lauds NIMC for recording nearly 140m enrolment

By Emmanuel Elebeke

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the Federal Government is targeting 95 per cent National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment coverage by December 2026.

Tinubu disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the 8th National Identity Day celebration. He was represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.

The President said the Federal Government was building the digital infrastructure required to leverage Nigeria’s identity system for economic growth.

He said the theme of the celebration underscored the importance of linking the country’s digital ecosystem with its digital economy and broader economic development.

“Nigeria’s digital ecosystem must power Nigeria’s digital economy and Nigeria’s digital economy must help power Africa’s economy. Our identity infrastructure will be a critical component of this ambition,” he said.

Tinubu said the government was working towards an ecosystem in which trusted digital identity would support digital commerce, financial services, social protection, healthcare, education and mobility.

He also disclosed that the government was accelerating the development of a Sovereign Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) as a trust layer within its broader Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) architecture.

According to him, the initiative would strengthen the foundations required for secure digital signatures, trusted electronic documents, encrypted transactions and secure government communications.

He said the system would enable businesses to transact digitally with greater confidence while allowing government documents to be authenticated without cumbersome physical processes.

Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to developing a robust DPI to improve access to public services, describing it as critical to healthcare, education and financial inclusion.

He commended the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Dr Abisoye Coker-Odusote, for her leadership of the commission.

In his goodwill message, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said identity management was central to economic growth, national security and social inclusion.

Tunji-Ojo said Tinubu’s assent to the NIMC Act 2026 provided what he described as a stronger legal foundation for digital identity management and the country’s digital economy.

He said a modern state needed reliable population data to improve the planning and delivery of public services, including education, healthcare and social interventions.

The minister commended Coker-Odusote for what he described as innovations and a citizen-focused approach at NIMC.

He, however, urged the commission to expand access to NIN enrolment for Nigerians in the diaspora and accelerate the development of trusted PKI and DPI systems for secure authentication.

Tunji-Ojo also urged Nigerians to enrol for NIN and protect their identity credentials, saying, “Your identity is your digital footprint.”

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said trusted identity management was increasingly important to education planning and access.

Alausa said the ministry was deploying NIN through the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), with the identification number serving as the anchor for cleaning up the education database of more than 75 million students from basic to tertiary levels.

He said NIN had become mandatory for JAMB registration and other examinations as part of efforts to curb malpractice, eliminate multiple identities and improve the accuracy of student records.

According to him, integration with NIMC had enabled more than 800,000 students to access financing through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

Alausa also commended NIMC for extending enrolment to 8,809 wards, saying the initiative would improve access to identity registration for school-age children.

Earlier, Coker-Odusote said the national identity database had grown from about 80 million NINs at the inception of the current administration to nearly 140 million.

She said the national identity infrastructure now had the capacity to accommodate 250 million records.

According to her, NIMC launched the Ward-Level Enrolment Drive in February 2026, taking free NIN registration to all 8,809 wards.

She added that more than 5,000 enrolment agents had been trained to improve access for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

Coker-Odusote also said NIMC unveiled the NINAuth application on October 30, 2025, describing it as a consent-based, citizen-controlled authentication service.

She added that the commission had relaunched the General Multipurpose Card (GMPC) for identity verification, financial transactions and direct government-to-people services.

The NIMC DG also cited the enactment of the NIMC Act 2026, which she said strengthened data protection, expanded the mandatory use of NIN and increased penalties for identity-related offences.

She said the NIN system now supports economic activities, with more than 173 private companies, 30 state governments and 14 public institutions licensed as enrolment partners.

According to her, NIN has also served as the Tax ID for individuals since January 1, 2026, while more than 800,000 students have accessed education financing through NELFUND following the integration of the identity system.

Coker-Odusote said integration with the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Revenue Service and National Population Commission was also strengthening national security and service delivery.

The event was attended by the ministers of Interior, Education, and Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.

Ride hailing company, Bolt has recorded a 92 per cent week-on-week increase in driver registrations in Nigeria following Uber’s exit from the country, as drivers seek alternative platforms to sustain their livelihoods.

The surge reflects increased interest in Bolt among drivers looking to transition to an established ride-hailing platform with an existing network of drivers and riders.

Bolt, which has operated in Nigeria since 2016, said the influx of new driver registrations would not lead to a relaxation of its onboarding, safety or conduct requirements.

The company said drivers previously suspended or blocked from its platform over serious safety violations, misconduct or other breaches of its standards would not be automatically reinstated because of the increased demand.

Senior General Manager, Bolt West Africa, Teddy Appa-Dankyi, said the increase demonstrated drivers’ confidence in the platform and the opportunities it offers.

“We are encouraged by the strong increase in interest from drivers looking to join Bolt. It demonstrates the confidence drivers have in our platform and the opportunities we provide. However, growth cannot come at the expense of safety,” he said.

EFN Non Oil Export
According to him, every driver seeking to join the platform must continue to satisfy Bolt’s established onboarding and safety requirements.

“Every driver who joins Bolt must meet our onboarding and safety requirements, and those standards remain unchanged. We have also maintained our position on drivers who were previously blocked or suspended for serious violations or unacceptable behaviour.

“We will not compromise those standards simply because there is an influx of drivers looking for opportunities,” Appa-Dankyi said.

The development comes as Nigeria’s ride-hailing industry adjusts to Uber’s withdrawal from the market after about 12 years of operations, prompting drivers and riders to explore alternative platforms.

For drivers, Bolt said its established presence in the country provides an opportunity to transition to a platform with an existing rider base and established demand.

The company added that riders would continue to have access to mobility services backed by its safety measures and operational infrastructure.

Bolt said it remained committed to Nigeria and would continue investing in its platform and driver community as the country’s mobility sector evolves.

“The market may be changing, but our commitment to safety and quality remains constant,” Teddy added.

by Solomon Ekanem

Teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana can no longer use England’s direct application service for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), after the UK government tightened eligibility requirements for overseas-trained teachers.

• Teachers from Nigeria and Ghana can no longer use England’s direct application service for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) due to tightened UK eligibility rules.
• The change, effective from September 9, 2026, also affects teachers from India, removing these countries from the QTS direct recognition list.
• The main reason cited was issues with employment-reference verification, particularly the use of non-official email addresses like Gmail or Hotmail by applicants.
• Qualified teachers from outside the UK, including Nigeria and Ghana, can still work in England for up to four years without QTS, and there are alternative routes to obtain QTS.

The change took effect on September 9, 2026, when the UK Department for Education (DfE) removed Ghana, Nigeria and India from the countries whose teachers can use the “Apply for QTS in England” service.

QTS is the professional status used in England and is a legal requirement to teach in many schools, although it is not required in every type of school, including some academies, free schools and private schools.

The DfE said the decision followed changes to the requirements for countries participating in the direct recognition service.

According to the UK Department for Education, teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana submitted 2,143 applications for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in the 2024–25 academic year.

Nigeria accounted for 1,076 applications, while Ghana accounted for 1,067. Of these, 560 applications resulted in QTS awards, while 1,348 were declined

Why Nigeria and Ghana lost access

The UK government said countries must have a national regulator that can confirm a teacher’s professional standing and must be able to provide employment references that meet its requirements.

Qualified teachers from outside the UK, including Nigeria and Ghana, can still work in England for up to four years without QTS, and there are alternative routes to obtain QTS.

For Nigeria and Ghana, the DfE pointed specifically to problems with employment-reference verification.

“More than 70% of applications from teachers in Ghana and Nigeria include work history references that use public email addresses, such as Gmail or Hotmail, rather than a school’s official email domain,” the department said.

The government added that this means its assessors “spend additional time and resources trying to verify information provided in applications.”

“We must be confident that the information applicants provide is genuine,” the DfE said. “This helps ensure that overseas teachers awarded qualified teacher status have the skills and experience needed to teach in schools in England.”

The requirement now states that references must confirm an applicant’s work history and use an email address belonging to the school’s domain.

The change does not amount to a ban on Nigerian or Ghanaian teachers working in England.

The UK government says qualified teachers from outside the UK can work in England for up to four years without QTS under its “4-year rule.” After that period, QTS is required to teach in many state schools.

Teachers affected by the change can also pursue alternative routes, including assessment-only QTS, teacher training in England or international qualified teacher status (iQTS).

Under the assessment-only route, experienced teachers with a degree can obtain QTS without completing a teacher-training programme.

The UK government says applicants generally need at least two years of teaching experience, a bachelor’s degree and other specified qualifications. Fees typically range from about £1,500 to £4,000, depending on the provider.

The iQTS route is also open to non-UK citizens and is delivered online by English teacher-training providers in partnership with schools around the world. The qualification follows the same standards as English QTS and leads to QTS.

The DfE said the purpose of the tighter rules is to ensure it can verify the qualifications, professional standing and experience of overseas teachers before awarding them QTS.

By Gilbert Ekugbe

Foreign nationals who complete university studies or vocational training in Germany can now obtain permanent residence after just two years of qualified employment, under official guidelines published by the federal government.

The updated guidance sighted by PUNCH Online on Wednesday, the official Make it in Germany portal under Section 18c of the Residence Act (AufenthG), provides an accelerated pathway to a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) for international graduates who transition directly into the German workforce.

Under standard regulations, foreign workers often wait up to five years to secure permanent residency.

However, the special provision under Section 18c rewards foreign graduates who complete their academic or vocational qualifications within the country.

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According to the official guidance, provisions apply to foreign nationals who completed university studies or vocational training in Germany and currently hold temporary residence permits for skilled work.

“The measures are designed to help skilled workers who have established their lives in the country move from temporary status to permanent residence,” the German government stated, emphasizing the policy’s goal of retaining qualified international talent amidst nationwide labor shortages in healthcare, engineering, and technology.