NASENI Powering STEM Education For Nigeria’s Future Infrastructural Development

Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education can be defined as a collection of interdisciplinary subjects whose focus is to power education on the basis of solution-based inquiries, experimentation and application of critical thinking to address real world challenges through skills, innovation and creativity.

STEM is crucial in national development because of its diverse and practical projects and lessons that encourage students to apply their knowledge to solve problems and prepare them for careers in STEM fields. This combined approach turns students into innovators talented in thinking across boundaries.
Over the years, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Technology (NASENI) has demonstrated commitment and capacity to drive the Nigerian industrialization and infrastructure development through the application of STEM which reinforces the country’s quest to attain its objectives in the global map of Science technology and innovation (STI).

The dynamism of NASENI in a rapidly changing world has placed it on the pedestal to drive massive investment in technology, and transforming Nigeria’s economy, and the Agency under the tireless leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Khalil Halilu Suleiman, is predicated on knowledge, innovation and engineering, which have brought immense benefits to Nigerians.

NASENI has enabled and strengthened Nigeria’s science and engineering infrastructure base to promote home-initiated and home-sustained industrialization through development of relevant processes. Nigeria’s demands are growing and the need to meet up with these demands has become even more relevant.

It has therefore become incumbent that STEM education must take high priority in the policy thrust of NASENI and all tiers of government and relevant stakeholders toward enhancing Nigeria’s technological self-reliance and infrastructural growth by infusing it into all cadres of education.

Since its inception in 1992, NASENI’s mission which is innovation for sustainable future has been the bedrock of its growth trajectory. It has been a purposeful and dynamic move to engineering infrastructure, which is the centerpiece of policy to enable home-initiated and home-sustained industrialization through development.

The Agency is defined by its mandate as the Federal Government’s purpose-built instrument for advancing science and engineering infrastructure across the country. The idea of NASENI was crystallized by the recommendations of a national committee on engineering infrastructure, after research showed the growing need for a dedicated institution to focus on the industrialization drive of the nation based on local technology.

NASENI’s vast array of Institutes across the country gives a boost to the Agency’s reputation in productivity in specialized areas such as materials engineering, scientific equipment, power systems, and advanced manufacturing technologies.

Apart from their massive contributions in expertise, skills development and equipment, these Institutes serve as engines of production, designed to build and deliver real, usable tools and equipment for Nigeria’s schools, industries, laboratories, and communities.

In practical terms, NASENI is building the hope and aspiration of Nigeria’s local technological independence. The agency has also made concerted efforts with partners to address the challenge of STEM education in Nigeria and to promote access to practical equipment and materials.
It is a fundamental need that for Nigeria to make any significant impact in the globe, it must emulate countries such as Singapore, China, Norway, Israel, US, Canada, Japan and Germany, who have made massive investment in STEM education in their academic systems and the benefits these have brought to these nations through competitive products.

Nigeria is making great efforts to emulate these countries and NASENI has steadily designed its projects and programmes as it has taken concrete steps to produce locally-fabricated scientific instruments such laboratory equipment, science kits such as test tubes, pipettes, measuring instruments, and other essential laboratory supplies. There is no doubt that these science kits and equipment are a testament of NASENI’s strategy to promote scientific literacy and practical science education nationwide.

Other innovative products fabricated and produced by NASENI include STEM box, laptops and tablets and many others which have been manufactured by NASENI institutes nationwide. NASENI’s investment in digital tools and computing devices are amazing. One of the most visible is the much celebrated 14‑inch professional laptop, produced locally through collaboration with private sector firms.

Since the emergence of Halilu as NESENI boss, the Agency has expanded its reach, adding new research centers, agritech parks, innovation hubs, and emerging technology institutes, with which it intends to drive Nigeria into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) where Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Internet of things (IoT) while delivering tools and products that meet the real needs of schools, industries and communities.

Halilu has also embarked on reforms and opening up the Agency for more productive collaborations with both local and international partners to boost investments in all sectors possible. In just about two years, the reforms and structural transformations under Halilu are already leading Nigeria to the desired direction and can be seen in the diverse products already being commercialized.

Nigerian students are fast learners both in theory and practice and with NASENI’s products that have been designed to assist STEM education in primary, secondary and tertiary intuitions in Nigeria, the sky as they say is the limit.

A new Nigeria that is driven by STEM education is possible and the totality of this technology culture can be achieved when it becomes mandatory that all schools across all levels including scientific institutes are tailored to access NASENI’s science kits and mechanical tools fabricated by local efforts. With these efforts, Nigeria will soon become a haven for distinguished scientists, engineers and innovators equipped with both theoretical knowledge and practical ability.

Nigeria can harness that creativity to spur future technological independence through a drastic effort at industrialization and infrastructure nurtured, built and delivered with indigenous proficiency. STEM education is the foundation of Nigeria’s future and NASENI is a solid anchor of this investment.

NASENI has made massive investments in the production of STEM products and these products have been proved to be of high quality and can sell in any market on the global scene. It is, therefore, incumbent for government at all levels, to initiate policies and regulations that will make it mandatory for Nigerians across board both public and private sectors to support the agency by patronizing these products.

NASENI’s commercialization drive, if supported by intentional patronage will expand the reach of these products and create significant market value for the products and enhance the dream idea of indigenous productivity through massive investment.

NASENI through the years has shown that Nigeria’s future in the technological sphere of influence is filled with great potential that can transform into massive wealth for the country and help strengthen a broad-based skill acquisition while addressing the enormous problem of unemployment among the citizens.