NASENI moves Nigerian innovations from laboratories to the marketplace
Nigeria’s major challenge has never been a lack of ideas. Across universities, research institutions, technology hubs and workshops, Nigerians continue to develop innovative solutions to the country’s problems. The bigger challenge, however, has been transforming those ideas into commercial products, factories, businesses and jobs.
Against this backdrop, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) is pursuing the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by seeking to move Nigerian innovations beyond laboratories and prototypes into factories and the marketplace.
This was highlighted during a visit by members of the Presidential Renewed Hope Media Tour to several NASENI facilities in Abuja on August 4, 2026. The tour brought together members of the Presidential Communications Team, government officials, journalists and private-sector partners as part of a nationwide exercise to showcase projects and policies of the Tinubu administration.
The team inspected a range of projects, including locally assembled electric vehicles, e-tricycles and drones, solar technologies, agricultural innovations, rapid diagnostic kits and advanced reverse-engineering equipment.
The projects, according to officials, demonstrate Nigeria’s growing capacity to develop and adapt technologies locally while reducing dependence on imported products.
Special Adviser to the President on Communication, Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described what he saw at NASENI as “impressive, impressive, impressive,” saying Nigerian youths could compete at a high level when provided with the right leadership, institutional support and environment.
NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, also used the visit to explain the agency’s changing approach to research and innovation.
According to Halilu, NASENI is moving beyond the traditional model where research institutions develop prototypes without taking responsibility for their commercialisation. The agency is now focusing on technology transfer, adaptation, domestication, strategic partnerships and commercialisation through its “3Cs” philosophy of Creation, Collaboration and Commercialization.
The model is designed to enable NASENI to develop indigenous solutions, collaborate with local and international partners and ensure that viable innovations reach the market.
Halilu, however, stressed that promoting local content does not mean Nigeria must manufacture every component of every product domestically. He noted that even leading global technology companies depend on international supply chains.
Instead, he said Nigeria should identify areas where it has comparative advantages, develop the necessary technical expertise and use partnerships to bridge gaps.
The approach, he explained, could create jobs, reduce production time, lower import dependence and increase value addition within the Nigerian economy.
NASENI’s activities currently cover more than eight industrial sectors, with projects and partnerships extending across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
One of the projects highlighted during the tour is the NASENI-Troment factory in Idu, Abuja, where the agency is supporting the local production of rapid diagnostic kits. The initiative is expected to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported rapid-test kits by about 80 per cent while strengthening domestic medical technology capacity.
The agency is also expanding its activities in renewable energy. At Gora in Nasarawa State, NASENI is developing a 40-hectare Solar Industrial Park intended to support large-scale domestic solar manufacturing.
Other initiatives include CNG conversion and refilling facilities in Abuja and a solar streetlight production partnership in Ogun State.
These projects are being developed as Nigeria seeks to address its energy challenges and reduce the cost of doing business.
Electric mobility and drone technology
Electric mobility is another major component of NASENI’s industrialisation drive.
During the tour, the media team was shown locally assembled electric vehicles, e-tricycles and e-bikes, reflecting the agency’s efforts to build domestic capacity in the emerging clean-transport sector.
NASENI is also using partnerships with foreign governments and technology companies to accelerate technology transfer.
Through its DELTA-2 programme, the agency is collaborating with the Czech Republic on technology transfer and applied research. It is also pursuing partnerships involving a coal-based fertiliser plant and working with universities, industries and development partners.
At its facilities, the visitors also saw drones being developed for surveillance, agriculture, building washing, precision flight and drone displays.
Some of the surveillance drones are equipped for precise take-off, return and landing, while agricultural drones can be programmed to carry out crop spraying autonomously.
NASENI has also trained drone pilots, including female engineers, and is developing its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle training facilities to provide skills for government personnel, farmers and other users.
Beyond civilian applications, the agency is developing defence and security technologies. Its Defence Equipment Reverse Engineering Centre in Bwari focuses on repairing and reproducing critical equipment locally, with the aim of reducing dependence on foreign suppliers in sensitive areas.
Advanced manufacturing and reverse engineering
One of the strongest demonstrations of NASENI’s industrial strategy was seen at its Centre of Excellence, where advanced reverse-engineering and precision-manufacturing equipment are being developed.
A seven-axis scanner at the centre reportedly has an accuracy of between two and three microns. It can scan physical components and convert them into computer-aided design files, allowing engineers to reproduce parts more quickly and accurately.
The centre can also receive components from industries, reverse-engineer them and produce customised moulds for mass production.
For Nigerian manufacturers, this could reduce the need to wait for imported components or send damaged parts overseas for reproduction.
NASENI is also applying local production principles to industrial waste. Scrap iron generated from its operations is recycled through an in-house furnace and converted into new products, including horseshoes, as part of the agency’s zero-waste manufacturing approach.
Investing in future skills
The transformation at NASENI extends beyond machinery and factories to developing the people needed to sustain Nigeria’s industrial future.
Its FutureMakers Programme introduces children between five and 16 years to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Programmes such as DELT-Her and SheFly are designed to increase women’s participation in engineering, drone technology and research.
The agency also runs skills-acquisition programmes and the InnovateNaija Challenge, which has a reported N500 million prize fund for identifying, supporting and commercialising promising Nigerian innovations.
Halilu said innovators are screened through an online platform, with successful applicants receiving mentorship and connections to factories and other partners that can help scale their ideas.
To strengthen the commercialisation process, NASENI has established NASENI HoldCo as its commercial and investment vehicle and created the NASENI Showroom to connect indigenous technologies with investors, businesses and consumers.
The agency is also using research commercialisation grants to help transform academic research into market-ready products.
Government seeks greater patronage
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said NASENI’s activities deserved greater public attention.
He urged the media to communicate government programmes and achievements more effectively while acknowledging that more work remained to be done.
Other members of the Presidential Communications Team also called for stronger government patronage of Nigerian technologies.
Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, highlighted the importance of strategic communication, increased public-sector patronage and greater visibility for Nigerian innovations.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, described the NASENI visit as a “massive eye-opener”, saying the agency’s contribution to the Nigeria First Policy could help ensure that public spending supports domestic industrial capacity.
NASENI’s leadership says its ultimate goal is not merely to develop technologies but to build sustainable businesses around them.
Its six strategic areas—innovation, clean energy, made-in-Nigeria manufacturing, food systems, future skills and strategic technologies—are all linked by a broader objective: industrialisation.
The message emerging from the Presidential Renewed Hope Media Tour is clear: Nigeria does not necessarily have to manufacture everything locally, but it must build the capacity to produce what it can, master the technologies it acquires, develop strategic partnerships and ensure that innovation translates into businesses, jobs, exports and sustainable economic growth.
