NASENI, Nigeria’s National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, has completed three years under the leadership of Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Khalil Suleiman Halilu. This anniversary, marked on September 4, 2026, showcases the agency’s progress in driving Nigeria’s technology transfer and commercialization capabilities.
Internal Reorganization
Since assuming office in September 2023, Halilu has steered NASENI towards becoming Nigeria’s primary catalyst for turning research into market-ready products. This shift aims to bridge the gap between the country’s research output and industrial productivity by linking innovation, infrastructure, skilled labor, finance, manufacturing, and market access.
Internal changes include establishing Project and Implementation Management Offices, reprioritizing budgets for measurable outcomes, fortifying audit and reporting systems, and implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning platform. These reforms are accompanied by new frameworks for accelerated technology transfer, green industrial development, and innovation commercialization.
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NASENI’s model rests on three pillars: Creation, Collaboration, and Commercialization. The agency generates and adapts technologies to address national needs, partners with stakeholders who bring expertise, capital, and market access, and commercializes viable innovations into products, enterprises, and factories.
Nurturing Innovations
To prevent Nigerian innovations from remaining as prototypes, NASENI has developed a connected pipeline from talent discovery to market access. InnovateNaija identifies promising innovators across Nigeria, while the NASENI Innovation Hub supports product development, mentorship, and investor-industry connections.
The Commercialisation Grant Programme supports market-potential research, and DELT-Her funds and mentors women in engineering. In the last year, the agency awarded ₦229 million to 14 researchers, supporting projects in agriculture, clean energy, healthcare, mobility, and digital security.
Other initiatives include FutureMakers, SheFly, and the Reverse Japa Programme, reconnecting Nigerian innovators abroad with local opportunities. The DELTA-2 program, a Nigeria-Czech Republic collaboration, supports applied research and experimental development.
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Halilu noted, “Nigeria has struggled to turn ideas and technical talent into commercial products and capable engineers. Our challenge is to create a connected system that identifies, develops, finances, manufactures, and markets innovations.
As the pipeline scales, questions arise about current funding levels and partnerships, given the wide gap between pilot projects and sustained domestic manufacturing across targeted sectors.
From Products to Market
The agency’s commercial subsidiary and NASENI Showroom facilitate market interactions between investors, procurement institutions, and the public. Halilu emphasized, “A competition can find an inventor, but they still need support, finance, manufacturing capacity, and market access. We’re building these components as an interconnected system, not isolated programs.”
