KHALIL SULEIMAN HALILU: Savvy, Highly Resourceful Techie, Driving NASENI’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Industrialisation, Technological Future

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI),Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu emerged as a central figure in Nigeria’s industrialization drive with the mandate to provide the backbone for the industrial and technological future of the country. According to Halilu, “President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda gave us a clear national policy framework to accelerate that mission.”

Under his leadership, the Agency transitioned from a research-heavy institution to a delivery-oriented powerhouse based on his 3Cs principle of Creation, Collaboration, and Commercialization. Halilu has aligned NASENI’s projects directly with the Renewed Hope Agenda to drive innovation and technological development, transforming the Agency from producing and shelving patents to creating about 44 market-ready products.

Halilu’s scorecard reflects a significant shift toward indigenous manufacturing and technological self-reliance.
KEY DELIVERABLES AND IMPACTFUL ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2025

Indigenous Products: Successfully introduced over 44 commercial products to the market, including Made-in-Nigeria laptops, tablets, and smartphones, Cookstove, TV, Solar Street Lamps, Air Conditioners, Solar and Electric Tricycles, e-Bikes, Electric Vehicles, Water Dispensers, Mobile Science Kits, Stem Box, etc.

Energy Security: NASENI is supporting energy security with establishment of two (2) Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, Reverse Engineering Centres in Abuja, FCT. The Centres convert fossil fuel vehicles to CNG and provide comprehensive training programmes to build local expertise in CNG systems. The Agency is scaling renewable energy solutions manufacturing by its ongoing construction of the largest energy park in Africa, a 40-hectareNASENI Solar Industrial Park in Gora, Nasarawa State for the manufacturing of solar components such as solar panels, batteries, etc.

Health, Manufacturing &GreenTech Leadership: It has established NASENI-Troment Biotechnologies Rapid Diagnostic Kits (RDT) Production Plant in Abuja for quick, reliable disease detection with a capacity to produce 600 million RDTs yearly and reduce import dependency on RDTs and other medical devices by up to 80%. NASENI is building the first coal-based fertilizer and liquid fertilizer plants in Africa to support food security. It is also bullish in its aggressive push into electric mobility (electric tricycles and vehicles) and clean cookstoves (NASENI Powerstoves) productions, which reduces carbon footprints while building local industrial capacity.

Food Security: Through Irrigate Nigeria Project, NASENI is deploying affordable solar-powered irrigation systems and kits to farmers nationwide that allows for year-round farming, directly addressing food security and rural income stability. Other climate-smart initiatives to improve food security is NASENI-AMEDI Lafia climate-resilient hydroponic farming which within 1 year of commencement, resulted in the harvest of over 17,100kg (equivalent to 17tonnes) of fresh farm produce like tomatoes, bell peppers, habanero peppers, cucumbers, spring onions and lettuce. It is also building The Agency Agricultural Machinery Equipment Development Institutes (AMEDI) in all the six geo-political zones and NASENI Agricultural Incubation Centres in select higher institutions to support agricultural mechanization, research and food security.

Fostering Innovations: Halilu has been vocal that Nigeria’s challenges can be addressed by Nigerians through innovations and skills development. This led him to institute Innovate Naija Challenge, NASENI’s DELT-Her (Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her) to empower young Nigerian women in engineering and tech through grants, mentorship, and project commercialization, Delta-2 Program and NASENI FutureMakers were launched to foster a culture of innovation, and providing foundation for homegrown technological solutions where Nigerian youths have platforms to showcase and commercialize their ideas.

Job Creation: The Agency is ensuring job creation and industrial growth by reviving Nigeria’s moribund tractors under the Asset Restoration Project, building cooking stove factories, and championing local production to reduce imports. It has facilitated the creation of over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs through various national projects and skill acquisition centers.

Defense and Security: Collaborations with DICON (Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria) and Department of State Security (DSS) have been intensified to establish ammunition production factories, aiming to localize the supply chain for small arms and ammunition to enhance national security. It also has strategic collaborations with the Nigerian Army, Air Force and Navy.

Community Impacts: Some NASENI products like the Solar Home Solutions and Solar Street Light have lighted up some urban, semi-urban and rural communities to bridge the large energy access deficit in the country. Communities in Ibeju-Lekki in Lagos, with an estimated population of about 288,743 and Karshi Community in Abuja with about 300,000 inhabitants have benefited in NASENI interventions towards clean and affordable energy as part of the Agency’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.

Strategic Partnerships: Signed over 50 MoUs, including a landmark agreement with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to enforce the “Nigeria First” policy to prioritize NASENI market-ready products by government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to reduce import dependency and prevent capital flights.
Impact on Nigeria’s Economic Growth

Halilu’s strategy in 2025 focused on import substitution, which aims at reducing Nigeria’s reliance on foreign goods. This was instrumental in the broader economic momentum that saw Nigeria record over 4% GDP growth in Q4 2025.
Economic Savings: Contributed to national savings (alongside BPP) of over ₦173 billion (approx. $155 million) between January and June 2025 by promoting local price intelligence and procurement.

In testament to his definitive leadership style and transformative strides, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has been recognized and honoured with awards within and outside Ngeria. Some of these include: “The Environmental Impact Agency of the Year 2025” by Leadership Newspapers; “Award for Outstanding Service in Innovations and Reforms (2025)” conferred by New Telegraph for his transformative leadership; “Distinguished Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE)’ awarded for promoting homegrown engineering solutions.

Similarly, Khalil Halilu was named “2026 Young African Leader of the Year Winner ” at the African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year 2025 Award, which was held in Ghana.

In his words, he noted that “Nigerians are now beginning to see that the Federal Government’s priorities align with their daily struggles: food, energy, jobs, and innovation; and that confidence is vital for nation-building. For me, as someone entrusted to drive parts of this Agenda, it is about ensuring that these impacts move from policy papers to actions.
“And I believe we are on the right track. We are basically replacing importation with Made-In-Nigeria goods; we are creating jobs and ensuring security of the country”, he added.