Two Years Of Soaring Home-Grown Technologies Impacts At NASENI: A Testament Of Effective Leadership

It was Plato, the great Greek Philosopher that once said “Leadership is not the power to command but the courage to serve”. This quote suggests that leadership is an act of service rather than an exercise of authority, emphasizing humility and courage.

There comes a time in the life of a nation when duty calls, and the response of leadership is tested on the crucible of personal example premised on discipline, courage and commitment.

These and many more are the defining qualities of the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Khalil Suleiman Halilu, who just marked his two years of remarkable leadership as the head of this critical Agency, with unrivalled records of achievements within its mandates of industrializing Nigeria.

With an astounding vision and clarity of thoughts, the youthful Halilu has embarked on a massive policy and administrative drive to transform Nigeria through the Agency with visible projects and optimistic programmes that have generated great results for the agency and Nigeria.

One of the notable achievements was the construction of Emerging Technologies Institute (SETI) in Kano, which was kick-started on Friday, 14th February 2025, marking a significant milestone in the Federal Government’s efforts to secure the socio-economic wellbeing of the future generation under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu’s administration aimed at transforming Nigeria.

The construction of Sustainable & Emerging Technologies Institute in Kano, on a 30-hectare land at Bayero University (BUK), features state-of-the-art facilities, including innovation hubs devoted to Artificial Intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies, complemented by reliable power supply.

In addition to SETI, a second NASENI project at BUK, an Agri-preneurship Training Hub will be equipped with modern greenhouses, and facilities for Soilless Farming, and Tissue Culture; occupying 10 hectares of land at the Old Campus. These projects collectively represent what NASENI stands for, that is, building capacity, advancing industrialization, supporting economic growth and prosperity.

In his characteristic passionate move to enhance visibility of Nigerian products, the NASENI boss directed all Development Institutes of the Agency to henceforth patronize selves first, to ensure collaboration and to enhance the drive toward full commercialization of products and technologies from the Agency.

This policy highlights the importance of internal endorsement and usage of the Agency’s products to build market credibility and strengthen internal collaboration, coming as a critical step toward increasing the adoption and success of NASENI innovations in external markets.

The new commercialization drive aims at enhancing inter-institute collaboration to support the commercialization of innovations developed within NASENI institutes, foster patronage and strengthen the overall strategy of the Agency’s products and solutions.

Also, the new policy which encourages active promotion, integration and utilization of products developed within the NASENI ecosystem will not only boost the internal confidence of the Agency’s products but will also help to refine them through real-world applications before being introduced to external markets.

In the areas of job and wealth creation, NASENI has trained over 10,000 artisans across the country through its Skill Acquisition Programmes in the past two years on Electrical Installations and Maintenance, Tailoring and Shoemaking. Others include Soap making, Computer Repairs, Solar Power Installation, Electrical Panel Maintenance, Safety Inspections and Upgrading of Electrical Systems.

In Nasarawa State, the Agency is building a 40-Hectare Solar Industrial Park, when completed, will create jobs for about 4,000 people. Also, NASENI’s two CNG Reverse Engineering Centres have trained 300 engineers. Other landmark projects embarked upon by the Agency include Irrigate Nigeria Project (Bauchi & Jigawa) where it deployed Smart irrigation pumps to farmers; and the National Asset Restoration Programme wherein 1000 tractors have been restored.

Other projects include the NASENI-Troment Rapid Diagnostics Factory; NASCAV Technologies for UAV School, Aircraft Recovery and Helicopter Design; Defence equipment manufacturing with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and the Ministry of Defence.

For instance, NASENI’s project with DICON is a significant step towards enhancing Nigeria’s defence capabilities and achieving self-reliance in military hardware production.  This partnership marks a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s quest to strengthen its defence infrastructure through indigenous innovation and technological advancement.

During the MoU signing ceremony last year, Halilu highlighted the importance of the Military Industrial Complex (MIC), as not just a strategic initiative but a national imperative. He emphasized that in a rapidly evolving global security environment, it is crucial for Nigeria to position itself to address emerging threats with homegrown solutions.

To date, the Agency has signed about 50 plus memorandum of understandings (MoUs) with local and international partners. At the national level, some of NASENI’s partners include Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Nigerian Police Force (NPF), DICON, Machines Equipment Corporation Africa (MECA), BUK, Imose Technologies Limited, Galaxy Backbone Limited, etc.

At the international level, some of NASENI’s partners include Haier, Chery, Yingli Solar, Caverton, Dongfeng, Z-Park, Shanghai Launch Automotive, Aftrade, etc. These partnerships have focused on electric vehicles (EVs), solar, defence, biotech, ICT, agri-tech, fertilizer plant, etc.

Under Halilu, the Agency has expanded its footprint to 18 Development Institutes and research and development (R&D) Centres nationwide; six Centres of Excellence; Skill Acquisition Centres, Agritech Parks (Lafia),  UAV Centre (Kaduna), NASENI  Campus & Showrooms, etc.

Flagship programmes and initiatives include SheFly – a Drone training for rural women farmers; DELT-Her – an initiative to fund women engineers across the country to come up with technological innovations that positively solve problems. The Agency is also funding Research Commercialization Grant across universities and research institutes.

Not left out is DELTA-2 Programme, an R&D grant funded by NASENI with Czech Republic’s Technology Agency (CRTA); Reverse Japa – Tapping diaspora talents; NASENI Innovation Hub & InnovateNaija Challenge; Tech Roadshows in 36 states; and nationwide empowerment and deployment of cookstoves to over 10,000 women.

NASENI has developed and commercialised about 44 indigenous products. The products include NASENI 300 Watts LED Solar Street Lamp; NASENI Laptop, NASENI Lithium battery, NASENI Solar Irrigation Pumps, and NASENI Smartphone, Television, Electric Vehicles, Home Solar Solutions, Electric Keke, Solar Tricycles,

The Agency partnered with Imose Technologies Ltd, an indigenous Nigerian company, to roll out made-in-Nigeria laptops and tablets for use by Nigerians. The 14-inch laptops and 10.5-inch tablets are manufactured under the NASENI brand name.

Other products include Powerstove cookstoves, Solar Street Lamp, Solar Panels, Prepaid meters, Motorcycles and CNG conversion centres. Others are Rapid diagnostic kits, assistive technology, Televisions, Air Conditions, Microwaves, Water Dispensers, HatchBox, Android  tablets, STEM kit, etc.

The Agency’s product commercialization move aligns with the agency’s mission to drive indigenous industrialization, local content and to promote job creation in fulfillment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which emphasizes local content development and cooperation amongst economic players in order to revamp the economy.

Following the investment in local production, there have been orders for NASENI’s new products as the Agency has unveiled new sets of products, developed in collaboration with technical partners. The Agency under Halilu is targeting 30,000 direct jobs; two million plus indirect jobs and has restored over 1000 tractors under National Asset Recovery Initiative. Five policy frameworks enacted;  7,500 women and youths directly empowered across the 36 states + FCT.

In a strategic move to bolster its renewable energy capabilities, NASENI has trained several staff to enhance skills and knowledge on Biogas and Biomethanol. It plans to build commercial-scale biogas and biomethanol plants.

Since assuming leadership at NASENI, Halilu has spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives that have solidified the Agency’s position as a critical driver of Nigeria’s industrial revolution. Halilu’s leadership has led to 35 market-ready products for use by Nigerians and closed deals on 44 projects with Agency’s partners, ready for launching or commissioning.

The Agency has implemented numerous landmark projects, including development of sustainable green technologies, the establishment of world-class manufacturing facilities, and strategic collaborations with local and international partners to boost Nigeria’s economic growth and development.