Nigeria’s development hinges on sustainable industrial growth and manufacturing capacity, which are key solutions to poverty, unemployment, and insecurity. Achieving a competitive industrial economy is essential to reduce dependence on imported goods, technologies, and services. An industrial economy utilizes machines, equipment, and technologies across industries to produce marketable goods and services. The effectiveness of a nation’s infrastructure, investment in science, technology, and innovation (STI) determines its competitiveness in producing processed and manufactured goods. Nations like Japan and China, who missed the early industrial revolutions, advanced rapidly by investing heavily in research and development (R&D), science, and technology. Similarly, the Asian Tigers—Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand—recognized the importance of substantial investments in STI earlier than many African nations, including Nigeria.
For Nigeria, prioritizing engineering, science, technology, and innovation is crucial for sustainable economic recovery and growth. Countries like Japan, the USA, China, Germany, and Indonesia allocate 5-6% of their GDP to STI development, underscoring the importance of R&D investments. Established in 1992, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) was created to foster home-initiated and home-sustained industrialization by developing local machine design and manufacturing capabilities. NASENI’s previous R&D efforts have led to significant advancements in sectors like agriculture, power, water resources, automotive industry, ICT, health, aviation, and more.
Under the leadership of its new chief executive, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, NASENI has shifted focus towards full commercialization of its resources, ensuring its R&D products and technologies are available to the market. Halilu’s approach emphasizes collaboration, creation, and commercialization to foster result-based partnerships nationally and internationally. Recently, NASENI unveiled technological products such as solar irrigation systems, electric vehicles, NASENI home solar systems, and more, aimed at job creation and reducing import bills. The agency also promotes digital technologies and advanced manufacturing, including 3D printing and electronic voting solutions.
NASENI envisions transitioning its domestic products from “Semi-Knocked Down” (SKD) to “Completely Knocked Down” (CKD) assembly, increasing the use of locally-sourced materials. Halilu has pledged to keep the public informed about NASENI’s progress in Nigeria’s industrial transformation, emphasizing the agency’s role in scaling up local content and strengthening domestic technical and production capacities.
Going forward, NASENI will continue to play a crucial role in Nigeria’s economic transformation, promoting science and technology, developing indigenous solutions, and supporting infrastructure development essential for manufacturing and economic growth. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicates that Nigeria’s investment in science and technology has contributed significantly to sectors like telecommunications, IT, and e-commerce, accounting for 10-15% of GDP. However, compared to developed nations where STI investments contribute significantly to GDP, Nigeria still lags behind.
The solution to Nigeria’s economic challenges lies in continuous investment in science, technology, and innovations, with NASENI at the forefront of this journey towards industrialization.
Mr. Olusegun S. Ayeoyenikan is the Director of Information, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Headquarters, Abuja.