The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, National Agency for Science and Engineering Technology (NASENI), Khalil Suleiman Halilu, took to the podium on Saturday to showcase the enormous efforts of the Agency to drive Nigeria’s industrialization and self-reliance to achieve the wider economic objectives of West Africa.
The occasion was the West African Economic Summit (WAES) that was held in Abuja between 20th and 21st June 2025, which was an initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to boost investment and create bountiful opportunities for the exploitation of the potentials of West Africa for the betterment of the region.
The event was attended by President Bola Tinubu; President of Benin Republic, Patrice Talon; President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio; President of the Liberia, Joseph Boakai; representatives of the presidents of Ghana, Senegal among other top dignitaries including visionary CEOs, bold investors, and vibrant innovators in West Africa.
The summit was aimed at strengthening economic ties and to make positive impacts on diverse areas in the region even as President Tinubu challenged regional stakeholders to brace up as West Africa is one of the last great frontiers of economic growth.
He said though there are opportunities yet that alone does not guarantee transformation, “Opportunity is not destiny. We must earn it through vision, integration, policy coherence, collaboration, and capital alignment. Intra-regional trade remains under 10 per cent—a challenge we can no longer afford to ignore.”
President Tinubu said: “The low trade is not due to a failure of will but a coordination failure. The global economy will not wait for West Africa to get its act together, and neither should we. Rather than competing in isolation or relying on external partners, we must strengthen our regional value chains, invest in infrastructure, and coordinate our policies.
“Our region’s greatest asset is its youthful population. However, this demographic promise can quickly become a liability if not matched by investments in education, digital infrastructure, innovation, and productive enterprise. For example, Nigeria invests in skills development, digital connectivity, and youth empowerment.
“But no one country can do this alone. Our prosperity depends on regional supply chains, energy networks, and data frameworks. We must design them together — or they will collapse separately. From the Lagos-Abidjan Highway and West African Power Pool to digital and creative industry initiatives, our joint projects demonstrate what is possible when we work together. But we must do more.”
The NASENI boss understood the demands of the president and he was emphatic in his address to the region about his mission encapsulated in the mantra of “Turning Mandates into Movements” even as he described the summit as a space where ideas become policies and policies become progress.
Halilu’s position was bolstered by the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Yuggar, who said “We’re not just talking about ECOWAS and ECOWAS states, but indeed to all states, businesses, private sector, development finance institutions that pertain to the West African region,” President added.
On his part, the EVC/CEO of NASENI, Halilu in his address gave a clear indication of the massive support President Tinubu has given the Agency in the last two years which according to him is a clear and transformative mandate to rebuild and retool Nigeria’s science and engineering infrastructure to serve our industries, energize innovation, and unlock the full potential of a diversified economy.
“This is not a mandate of ambition alone — it is one of urgency, one of impact, and most of all, one of results,” he said. Under the directive vision of Turning Mandates into Movement, the Agency has redefined what it means to build — and to build with purpose.
The NASENI boss said “in renewable energy, we are deploying smart, localized solar solutions to power underserved communities and agro-processing clusters; through our Irrigate Nigeria program, we’ve launched a mission to revolutionize smallholder farming.
He said by delivering affordable, solar-powered irrigation kits to farmers nationwide, the Agency is ending seasonal farming and turning dry months into productive months. This is innovation with water at its heart — and food security in its future.
“In agriculture, we launched the Asset Restoration Programme to revive abandoned government-owned equipment — turning neglected assets into powerful tools for modern farming and food security, the first of its kind. In e-governance, we’re building local tech, by local minds, to solve local problems — because a truly digital Nigeria must begin with a truly Nigerian solution.
“And for youth empowerment, NASENI is no longer just a government agency — we are now a launchpad for young inventors, builders, and creators. We are creating what we call a Generation of Makers. This is not just progress. This is momentum — the kind that moves nations forward and brings movements to life.”
He called for West African collaboration, stressing that no country can innovate in isolation and no region can rise divided but with the immense talent in West Africa, the market, the raw materials and raw ambition, what the region needs now is alignment.
“Imagine a West Africa where: R&D investments are co-funded across borders; Tech innovations made in Ibadan are commercialized in Abidjan; Renewable energy solutions in Lagos are scaled from Accra to Monrovia. That future is possible — and it is waiting for our collective will to meet it halfway,” he noted.
Mr. Halilu expressed readiness to lead a Regional Technology Commercialisation Movement to unite engineers, entrepreneurs, and our economic ecosystems within the region. From shared prototyping facilities to harmonized standards, NASENI is ready to build — not just in Nigeria, but with Nigeria as a bridge across the sub-region.
He said NASENI is making policy announcements and opportunities for deeper cooperation as key to its development objectives and in line with this vision, Halilu announced three new policy directions that are open for regional cooperation.
One of the policies is the Cross-border Innovation Platforms, in which the Agency is designing frameworks to co-develop solutions in renewable energy, digital manufacturing, and agri-tech across West Africa. The second one is the West African Makers Exchange: A continental knowledge and talent pipeline — where our young inventors, engineers, and creators can learn, build, and trade ideas without borders.
And the third one is the NASENI Regional Infrastructure Registry: An open-source platform to map and share science and engineering assets across our nations, so no innovation effort is duplicated — only multiplied. According to Halilu, these are more than initiatives. They are invitations — to build, to collaborate, and to grow together.
He said the West African pool of talents and resources is vibrant and NASENI has started the moment. A movement that proves the region can build African solutions, at African scale, with African pride, a movement where NASENI is not just a national institution — but a regional bridge, a continental catalyst.
“Let’s build West Africa—not just as an idea, but as a powerhouse. Let’s irrigate not just farmlands, but minds. Let’s restore not just assets, but trust in what we can build —together. The time is now. The place is here. The movement is us,” the NASENI boss concluded.
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