The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has been at the forefront of Nigeria’s push toward industrialization and technological advancement. Established in 1992, the agency was mandated to supply Nigeria’s market with essential capital products necessary for machine and equipment design, fabrication, and mass production, with the goal of supporting the nation’s sustainable industrial development.
Over the years, NASENI has made significant strides in advancing Nigeria’s homegrown innovation and manufacturing capabilities. Through its various Development Institutes and Centres, the agency has developed over 150 innovative products and prototypes, contributing to the growth of science, engineering, technology, and manufacturing across the nation.
Despite these accomplishments, NASENI had historically struggled to commercialize its research and development (R&D) outcomes. Products and technologies developed by the agency often failed to gain significant traction with local businesses or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These challenges were compounded by low patronage from local entrepreneurs, leaving many R&D results unutilized, gathering dust on shelves.
However, in a turning point for the agency, on September 4, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu as NASENI’s new Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive. President Tinubu, who serves as the Chairman of the NASENI Governing Board in line with the agency’s establishment Act of 2004, tasked Halilu with reinvigorating the agency. Halilu wasted no time, implementing sweeping changes aimed at bridging the gap between NASENI’s R&D achievements and commercialization.
Halilu’s immediate focus was on making NASENI’s innovations more accessible to the market and end-users, a strategy he described as critical for boosting the economy. His leadership philosophy, shaped by years of experience in the private sector as a tech entrepreneur, emphasized the importance of partnerships and collaboration over competition. Under his leadership, NASENI has become an enabler for the private sector, helping businesses scale up production, improve designs, and find new markets for their products.
Within a year of Halilu’s appointment, NASENI has unveiled several key products, including solar irrigation systems, electric vehicles (ranging from tricycles to motorcycles), home solar systems, and animal feed milling machines. Other notable products include laptops, smartphones, solar street lamps, and lithium batteries, all designed to create jobs and reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imports.
Halilu’s experience in founding successful startups, such as Shap Shap Technologies, a logistics company, and an eco-friendly tech hub, has proven invaluable in his approach to leadership at NASENI. He brought this entrepreneurial mindset to the public sector, launching the NASENI Strategic Launchpad shortly after assuming office. This initiative laid out the agency’s short-, medium-, and long-term goals and provided a clear roadmap for achieving its mission. One of his first moves was to rebrand NASENI, introducing a new corporate logo and positioning the agency to better align with the private sector.
The NASENI Strategic Launchpad is built on four key pillars: enhancing Nigeria’s manufacturing capacity, reducing import dependency through R&D, repositioning NASENI strategically, and leveraging the strengths of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. This comprehensive plan has served as a blueprint for the agency’s operations, ensuring that its resources are optimized and its goals are met within achievable timeframes.
In the past year, NASENI has forged several important partnerships, both locally and internationally. A $150 million deal with Schenzen LEMI Technology Development Company Ltd aims to establish a lithium battery manufacturing plant in Nigeria. The agency also signed agreements with three Chinese companies for projects valued at $2 billion, including an electric vehicle manufacturing facility, a drone assembly line, and technology transfers for lithium batteries and electric vehicles. Other collaborations include partnerships with Galaxy Backbone Ltd for NASENI’s High-Performance Computing 2.0 projects, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) for renewable energy technologies, and PT Saputra Global Harvest of Indonesia for coal-based fertilizer plants.
Halilu’s leadership has revitalized NASENI’s role in driving Nigeria’s economic transformation. The agency’s work in agriculture, healthcare, housing, energy, transportation, and ICT sectors has already started yielding results. NASENI’s partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, for instance, aims to deploy its technical competencies to support agro-allied industries, improve food security, and mitigate climate change through smart solar irrigation systems.
Under Halilu’s guidance, NASENI has also focused on staff development and welfare, with a renewed emphasis on continuous training and skills enhancement. Every NASENI employee, from junior staff to senior management, has had the opportunity to participate in local or international training programs aimed at improving performance. This focus on human capital development has fostered a new sense of purpose within the organization, with staff members expressing optimism about NASENI’s future.
Looking ahead, NASENI is poised to play an even greater role in Nigeria’s technological advancement. With Halilu’s focus on innovation, collaboration, and commercialization, the agency is set to make significant contributions to the nation’s economy. In just one year, NASENI has made remarkable progress, positioning itself as a key player in Nigeria’s path toward sustainable development and technological self-reliance. As the agency continues to pursue its forward-thinking vision, the future looks bright for NASENI under the transformative leadership of Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu.