NASENI: Research Commercialization Critical to Nigeria’s Economic Growth

L-R: Overseeing Officer, Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI), Lafia, Engr. Mustafa Usman; Deputy Director, Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, Engr. Dr. Emmanuel Ajani; Director, Manufacturing Services Department, NASENI, Engr. Dr. Olayode Olasupo; Research Director, NASENI, Engr. Dr. Patrick Okwu; EVC/CEO of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu (represented by Research Director, NASENI, Engr. Prof. Abdulmalik Onuwe); Director, Planning and Policy Analysis, NASENI, Dr. MacDonald Aloko; and Coordinator, NASENI Research Commercialization Grant Programme (NRCGP), Engr. Dr. Anas Yazid, during the Zonal Sensitization Programme held Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at NASENI Headquarters, Abuja.

NASENI: Research Commercialization Critical to Nigeria’s Economic Growth

By Gloria Sarauniya Usman

ABUJA, NIGERIA September, 2025 - The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has emphasized that research commercialization is central to Nigeria’s economic transformation.

Speaking at the North-Central Sensitization Programme on the NASENI Research Commercialization Grant Programme (NRCGP), held Wednesday, 24th September 2025 at the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja, Halilu—represented by NASENI’s Research Director, Prof. Abdulmalik Ibrahim Onuwe—said the initiative was designed to address financial and administrative setbacks often faced by research projects.

He noted that the grant programme is fully digitalized, transparent, and free from unnecessary bureaucracy. “This sensitization is not just for personal benefit but also to empower prospective researchers from institutes who may seek guidance about the programme,” Halilu stated.

Programme Coordinator and Special Adviser to the EVC on Science and Engineering Commercialisation, Engr. Dr. Anas Balarabe Yazid, explained that the NRCGP aligns with NASENI’s mandate to promote local content under the principle of Creation, Collaboration and Commercialisation (3Cs). He stressed that research projects must be clear, market-viable, and aligned with Nigeria’s broader development goals.

In her closing remarks, Deputy Director of Planning and Policy Analysis, Ms. Joy Elugbe, commended participants and encouraged researchers to embrace NASENI’s initiatives as a pathway to national growth.