By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has restated its commitment to enhance production of Nigeria’s branded products, technology transfer domestication, commercialisation and stimulation of indigenous socio-economic advancement.
Its Executive Vice Chairman, Mr Khalil Halilu, said this while unveiling NASENI’s branded products at the agency’s quarterly media briefing in Abuja. The new products included car batteries, laptops, smartphones and Solar-powered street lights.
In February, the agency launched three sets of its branded products which are: solar-powered irrigation systems, electric motorcycles and tricycles, and off-grid solar home systems.
Mr Halilu said that the feats were recorded in line with the agency’s 2023-2027 strategic launchpad to fit into the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present Bola Tinubu-led administration.
He said the launchpad was to enhance Nigeria’s manufacturing capacity, reduce the country’s import bill, and reposition the agency to leverage on the comparative advantage of the 36 states.
The NASENI boss said the agency was working assiduously to bring in more products to create a national brand that every Nigerian would love to see.
He said that the agency embarked upon its launchpad to improve the livelihood of Nigerians and foster national development.
“What we are trying to do is to open our doors to people that will contribute to our activities and development of our nation.
Mr Halilu said that the areas of focus of the strategic launchpad were agriculture and food manufacturing, defense and aerospace, sustainable transportation and mobility.
He said others included renewable energy and sustainability, health and biotechnology, information technology and software, construction and smart city.
NASENI boss also presented the agency’s proposal evaluation portal, a website for those who intend to work with the agency.
He said the NASENI Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) would soon be launched for task tracing within the agency.
He said that the agency’s e-procurement portal, an initiative in the launchpad, was to enhance transparency.
According to him, the NASENI youth empowerment programme consists of schemes with the prospect of creating 18,000 direct jobs.
He said the vehicles to drive the project included skills acquisition centres, training, stem box innovation hub and campus.
The EVC said the work of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT) and the Delt-Her initiative programme was geared towards encouraging female participation in the engineering sector.
He added that the agency also trained 20 Nigerian engineers in Indonesia on equipment fabrication under the agency’s full acquisition Saputra coal fertilizer project.