From Policy To Practice: Interrogating NASENI, BPP Partnership On “Nigeria First Movement”

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has taken another giant step to create a profound structure and operations for the promotion of the made-in-Nigeria goods and services in both local and international markets thereby driving the Nigeria First Policy by the Federal government.
This fundamental step was taken in collaboration with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) when both agencies on Monday, May 28th, 2025, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implementation Nigeria First Policy on Procurement, projects and other related matters.

NASENI, according to a statement by the Director of Information, Olusegun Ayeoyenikan, is driving the Nigeria First Policy, which is an initiative of the Federal Government, aimed at promoting Nigerian-made goods, services and utilization of local contents, infrastructures and other value chains.

As part of the Renewed Hope Agenda initiative of the Federal Government, the policy seeks to encourage local production and consumption of Nigerian goods or services, also to support Nigerian business and entrepreneurs, foster economic growth and development, reduce dependency on imported goods and to promote Nigerian culture and identity.

Also, by prioritizing local content, the policy aims to create jobs, stimulate economic activity and increase Nigeria’s global competitiveness.

During the MoU signing ceremony which took place at the headquarters of Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, assured that with the signing of the MoU and implementation of the Nigeria First Policy, 80 per cent of challenges faced while trying to convince investors and foreign partners would have been solved, as Nigeria will cease to be dumping ground for foreign goods, while focusing on promotion of Nigerian products, goods and services.

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The NASENI boss expressed optimism that with support now coming from BPP, an agency in charge of all MDAs procurement matters, the over 50 market-ready NASENI products will be off the shelves and gain patronage of Nigerians, adding that NASENI has gained for the country over $2 billion dollars from its recent partnership activities with China alone.

“One thing that is clear when I took over the leadership of NASENI was the determination to move the Agency from just producing prototypes to commercialization of its technologies and products, this was complemented by the turnaround which we did in rebranding the Agency.

“We have 50 market-ready Nigeria branded products. NASENI is building the biggest renewable energy park in Nasarawa and has entered partnership with Abuja Technology Village to boost Technology Transfer and innovation, enhance local manufacturing capacity, transform NASENI’s research-focused installation into full production facilities, promote national brands and local production”, he explained.

The partnership between NASENI and BPP is expected to have transformative impacts on Nigeria’s economy and human capital development, aligning with national goals for industrialization, youth employment, and economic diversification.

The vision of the NASENI boss to make Nigeria a veritable environment to produce industrial goods and services has remained consistent as the Agency has made steady progress in its investments and strategic partnership crucial for development, which Halilu said “also shows that our efforts are not in vain.”

Recall that Halilu recently bagged the prestigious award of “African Achievers Award” at the 15th edition of the ceremony held at the historic House of Lords, UK Parliament, on July 11, 2025. This was an event that brought together royals, global leaders, policymakers, and innovators, where they recognized Mr. Halilu’s outstanding contributions to advancing Africa’s technological infrastructure, innovation ecosystems, and industrial growth through his leadership at NASENI.

Hosted by Baroness Sandip Verma, Chancellor of the University of Roehampton and a respected member of the House of Lords, the ceremony was a powerful global showcase of African excellence and transformative leadership.

The Director-General of Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) Dr. Adebowale Adedokun exuded much confidence that the MoU between BPP and NASENI offers a structured bridge between production and procurement and how to take locally made solutions off the shelves and to place them at the center of public service delivery, which aimed at aligning Government policies with national priorities as well as giving practical force to the Nigeria First Policy.

According to him, “NASENI’s innovations, from tractors to tablets, from surveillance drones to solar backup systems, will now be actively prioritized in the procurement plans by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). We are institutionalizing a framework that makes local options not just preferable, but the default option before all others.”

Specifically, he further said that with the signing of the MoU, the “BPP will now integrate NASENI’s product catalogue into the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO) and therefore encouraging other MDAs to follow suit.”

It must however be clear that the “Nigeria First Policy is not an act of protectionism, but an act of patriotism grounded in performance, and it is targeted at fast tracking Nigeria’s industrial revolution”, the BPP boss emphasized.

It is remarkable that NASENI, according to Adedokun, has invested in quality assurance and its products are certified by national institutions such as Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). This means NASENI’s offerings will now be visible, verifiable, and measurable across all MDAs.

He said, “First, we are integrating NASENI’s catalogue into the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal, NOCOPO. Between January and June this year alone, NOCOPO’s enhanced price intelligence has helped Nigeria save over N173 billion naira, $155 million dollars, and €1.7 million euros.”

With this development all the MDAs can profit if they follow NASEN’s footprint in promoting Made-in-Nigeria products, as the BPP’s revised threshold is now five billion naira for goods and ten billion for works, meaning that MDAs can act faster, while they continue to strengthen post-review and audit mechanisms.

It is given that the role of BPP is to ensure that these standards are rewarded with access, and MDAs will no longer look outside when the best is being made inside, and the BPP is increasingly backing this commitment with reform actions in line with the President Bola Tinubu’ Renewed Hope Agenda.