NASENI Is Strengthening Local Manufacturing Through Strategic Partnerships With Private Sector

Nigeria’s industrialisation drive has increasingly highlighted the need for stronger collaboration between public institutions and the private sector. As the country seeks to reduce dependence on imports, create jobs and strengthen domestic productive capacity, stakeholders say sustainable manufacturing growth can only be achieved through strategic partnerships that combine government support with private sector innovation, investment and technical expertise.

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has, in recent years, emerged as one of the major public institutions pursuing this model aggressively. Under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, the Agency has expanded collaborations with local and international firms across sectors such as renewable energy, transportation, agriculture, healthcare, consumer electronics and clean technology.

The Agency’s approach reflects a growing recognition that industrialisation cannot be driven by government alone. Manufacturing ecosystems require large-scale investments, technology transfer, skilled manpower and market integration that demand coordinated participation between the public and private sectors.

Halilu has repeatedly emphasised that NASENI’s focus is no longer limited to developing prototypes and research outputs, but ensuring that innovations are commercialised through partnerships capable of scaling production. According to him, the Agency is working to make NASENI “the number one innovation and technology transfer Agency in the country.”

He said the institution now prioritises collaboration, domestication of technology and commercialisation with strategic partners and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). That strategy has resulted in a growing list of partnerships aimed at deepening local manufacturing and reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported products and technologies.

One of the flagship collaborations is NASENI’s partnership with IMOSE Technologies Limited, a Nigerian technology company involved in the production of consumer electronics. The partnership focuses on local manufacturing of laptops, tablets and desktop computers designed specifically for Nigerian environmental conditions.

According to NASENI, the collaboration is aimed at supporting digital inclusion, creating technology-related jobs and strengthening Nigeria’s electronics manufacturing ecosystem. The locally assembled devices are designed with rugged hardware and long battery life capable of withstanding heat and dust conditions common in many parts of the country.

Similarly, NASENI has expanded partnerships in the renewable energy sector as part of efforts to position Nigeria within the global clean energy transition. One of such collaborations is with A-Solar Energy Limited for the manufacturing of NASENI Home Solar Solutions.

The initiative is designed to improve local production of solar home systems targeted at households and small businesses struggling with inadequate electricity supply. The partnership aligns with Nigeria’s growing demand for alternative energy solutions amid persistent power shortages and rising energy costs.

The agency has also entered into partnership arrangements involving Adeayworld Energy and Zhejiang Sinray Electronics Co. aimed at upgrading NASENI Solar Energy Limited manufacturing facilities and establishing the 40-hectare Gora Solar Industrial Park in Nasarawa State.

The project is expected to support local processing of silicon dioxide into solar cells, thereby deepening domestic participation in the solar energy value chain. Stakeholders believe the initiative could significantly reduce reliance on imported solar components while creating opportunities for local engineers, fabricators and suppliers.

Another major collaboration attracting attention is NASENI’s strategic investment partnership with Powerstove Energy, a Nigerian clean energy company specialising in cookstove technology and carbon credit projects. The partnership represents the first direct strategic investment by NASENI into a private company. Under the arrangement, NASENI is providing growth capital and technical support to help scale Powerstove’s production capacity from about 100,000 units annually to more than one million clean cookstoves per year.

The project also involves the establishment of 10 assembly factories across Nigeria, a move expected to significantly expand local manufacturing activity in the clean cooking technology sector.

The collaboration has implications beyond manufacturing. Experts say clean cookstove technology could help reduce deforestation, indoor air pollution and carbon emissions associated with traditional cooking methods. The expansion of production facilities is also expected to create jobs and stimulate local supply chains involving metal fabrication, packaging, logistics and maintenance services.

In the agricultural sector, NASENI has pursued partnerships focused on mechanisation and fertiliser production. Through collaboration with Machine and Equipment Corporation Africa Limited (MECA), the Agency has restored more than 1,000 broken-down tractors in Borno and Niger states        which are being used to support agro-industrial companies and farmers across various agricultural value chains.

The initiative is seen as part of broader efforts to strengthen agricultural mechanisation and improve productivity within Nigeria’s food system. Tractor restorations help extend the lifespan of existing equipment while improving access for farmers and agro-processors.

NASENI has also partnered with Whitefog Environmental Services Limited and Indonesia’s PT Saputra Global Harvest on the establishment of liquid fertiliser and coal fertiliser plants. The collaboration is expected to support local fertiliser production and reduce dependence on imported agricultural inputs. Stakeholders say increased domestic fertiliser manufacturing capacity could help improve affordability and availability for farmers while strengthening food security.

Healthcare manufacturing has also become an important component of NASENI’s partnership strategy. The agency is in collaboration for the establishment of NASENI-TROMENT Biotechnology Facility in Abuja. The factory is expected to manufacture rapid diagnostic test kits for malaria, HIV and other diseases locally. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities associated with excessive dependence on imported medical products and equipment. Local production of diagnostic kits and medical consumables is therefore increasingly viewed as critical for national health security.

The transportation sector is another area where NASENI has intensified private sector collaboration. In line with the Federal Government’s push toward alternative energy sources and reduced dependence on petrol, the Agency partnered with Portland Gas Limited to establish Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion and refilling facilities in Abuja.

The collaboration led to the establishment of an All-in-One CNG Reverse-Engineering, Training, Filling and Conversion Centre inaugurated at Jabi and Kubwa in Abuja in 2024 and 2025 respectively. The two facilities provide vehicle conversion services, CNG refueling and technical training for technicians and engineers involved in alternative fuel systems.