L-R: The Overseeing Officer, Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI), Lafia, Nasarawa State, Engr. Mustafa Usman; the Deputy Director, Engineering Infrastructure NASENI, Engr. Dr. Emmanuel Ajani; the Director, Manufacturing Services Department, NASENI, Engr. Dr. Olayode Olasupo; Research Director, NASENI, Engr. Dr. Patrick Okwu; EVC/CEO of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu represented by the Research Director, NASENI, Engr. Prof. Abdulmalik Onuwe; Director, Planning and Policy Analysis Department, Dr. MacDonald Aloko; and Coordinator, NASENI Research Commercialization Grant Programme (NRCGP), Engr. Dr. Anas Yazid during the Zonal Sensitization Programme, held Wednesday, September 24, 2025 at the NASENI Headquarters, Abuja.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has emphasized that research commercialization is pivotal to driving Nigeria’s economic growth and sustainable development.
He made this known during the North-Central Sensitization Programme on the NASENI Research Commercialization Grant Programme (NRCGP), held on Wednesday, 24th September 2025, at the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Represented by NASENI’s Director of Research, Prof. Abdulmalik Ibrahim Onuwe, Halilu stated that the NRCGP was introduced to address the financial and administrative bottlenecks often faced by research projects and to support viable research and development initiatives that align with NASENI’s mission.
According to him, the grant application process is fully digital, transparent, and user-friendly, eliminating the need for physical presence or lengthy bureaucracy. “This sensitization is aimed at empowering researchers and institutions to fully understand and take advantage of the programme,” he said.
Participants at the event included representatives from universities, the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NSRDA), among others. Halilu urged them to utilize NASENI’s opportunities to foster innovation, collaboration, and commercialization of homegrown technologies.
Delivering an overview of the NRCGP, Programme Coordinator and Special Adviser to the EVC on Science and Engineering Commercialisation, Engr. Dr. Anas Balarabe Yazid, explained the programme’s objectives, eligibility requirements, and evaluation criteria.
He noted that the initiative is guided by NASENI’s 3Cs principle, Creation, Collaboration, and Commercialisation and is focused on supporting projects that are innovative, market-viable, and aligned with Nigeria’s development priorities.
In her remarks, Deputy Director, Planning and Policy Analysis, Ms. Joy Elugbe, appreciated the EVC’s commitment to promoting research-driven growth and encouraged participants to leverage NASENI’s programmes to advance national progress and technological self-reliance.
