NASENI: Three Years of Institutional Reform, Technology Commercialisation And Industrial Development Under Khalil Suleiman Halilu

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) on Friday 4th September 2026, marked three years of institutional transformation under its Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, highlighting reforms, products, projects and strategic partnerships advancing Nigeria’s industrialisation agenda.

Since assuming office in September 2023, Halilu has led the repositioning of NASENI as Nigeria’s primary technology-transfer and commercialisation agency, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. The new direction is focused on closing the gap between Nigeria’s research capacity and its industrial output by connecting innovation, infrastructure, skilled manpower, finance, manufacturing and market access.

Speaking on the milestone, Halilu said Nigeria has never lacked ideas or technical talent, but has struggled to translate them into commercially viable products and industries. “Nigeria has capable engineers, researchers and innovators. What has often been missing is a connected system that can identify promising ideas, develop them, finance them, manufacture them and take them to the market. Closing that gap has defined our work at NASENI over the past three years,” he said.

Institutional Reform as Foundation

NASENI began its transformation by strengthening its internal systems and introducing a more accountable and results-driven approach to project implementation. The Agency established Project Management and Implementation Management Offices, reoriented its budget towards measurable deliverables, strengthened internal audit and reporting systems, digitised key processes and introduced an Enterprise Resource Planning system to improve efficiency and institutional accountability.

These reforms have been complemented by new frameworks for accelerated technology transfer, green industrial development and innovation commercialisation. NASENI’s operating model is built around three principles: Creation, Collaboration and Commercialisation. Under this framework, the Agency creates and adapts technologies that respond to national needs, collaborates with partners that provide expertise, capital and market access, and commercialises viable innovations so they can become products, enterprises, factories and jobs.

Building an Innovation-to-Industry Pipeline

To ensure that Nigerian innovations do not end as prototypes, NASENI developed an interconnected pipeline covering talent discovery, research funding, incubation, commercialisation and market access. InnovateNaija identifies promising innovators across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The NASENI Innovation Hub provides product-development support, mentorship and connections to investors and industry.

The Research Commercialisation Grant Programme supports applied research with market potential, while DELT-Her provides targeted funding, mentorship and commercialisation opportunities to women in engineering. In 2025, NASENI awarded ₦229 million to 14 researchers under its research commercialisation programme, supporting projects across agriculture, clean energy, healthcare, mobility and digital security.

The Agency is also implementing DELTA-2, a Nigeria–Czech Republic programme supporting applied research, experimental development and technology transfer. Other initiatives include FutureMakers, which introduces children and young people to science, technology, engineering and mathematics; SheFly, which trains women in drone technology; and the Reverse Japa Programme, which seeks to reconnect Nigerian researchers and innovators abroad with opportunities at home.

NASENI HoldCo is being positioned as the commercial vehicle for market-ready technologies, while the NASENI Showroom provides a permanent platform where investors, procurement institutions and members of the public can interact with locally developed products.

According to Halilu, the strength of the model lies in the connection between its components. “A competition can discover an inventor, but that inventor still needs product-development support, finance, manufacturing capacity and access to customers. We are building these components as one connected system rather than as isolated programmes,” he said.

Advancing Local Manufacturing

NASENI has developed and introduced more than 40 products across renewable energy, mobility, agriculture, healthcare, information technology, home appliances, clean cooking and education. The product portfolio includes solar irrigation pumps, solar home systems, solar streetlights, portable solar generators, batteries, electric vehicles, electric tricycles, CNG conversion solutions, smartphones, tablets, laptops, televisions, household appliances, rapid diagnostic kits, clean cookstoves and STEM learning tools.

Beyond product development, the Agency is investing in industrial platforms capable of supporting local manufacturing, testing and technology adaptation. The 40-hectare Solar Industrial Park in Gora, Nasarawa State, is being developed as an integrated platform for solar research, manufacturing, testing and deployment. NASENI DevFrontier is advancing local solar streetlight production, while NASRacks is being established to manufacture solar mounting structures.

The Agency is also working with local and international partners to develop domestic capacity for photovoltaic modules, inverters, batteries and other renewable-energy components. These interventions are intended to move Nigeria beyond the deployment of imported solar systems towards greater participation in the solar manufacturing value chain.

Sustainable Mobility and Transport Technology

In the mobility sector, NASENI is developing an electric vehicle assembly facility at the Abuja Technology Village to support the production of electric vehicles, including the NASENI Electric Keke. The Agency has also established CNG conversion and reverse-engineering centres in Abuja to support Nigeria’s transition towards more affordable and cleaner transportation. The centres provide vehicle conversion services, technical training and a platform for the local fabrication and adaptation of CNG components.

NASENI described its electric mobility and CNG programmes as complementary pathways: CNG provides a near-term option for reducing fuel costs, while electric mobility builds the engineering and supply-chain capabilities required for the future of transportation.