Education is the bedrock of any society and investments in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education has been the core plank of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
As the only purpose-built intervention Agency of the Federal Government under the Presidency, with the mandate to nurture an appropriate and dynamic Science and Engineering Infrastructure base for achieving home-initiated and home-sustained industrialization for Nigeria, NASENI’s focus is the enhancement of capacity in the educational sector to exploit the potentials of Nigerians to add value to the Nigerian economy.
In this sector, NASENI has made some notable achievements. They include the establishment of Centers of Excellence in Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology in Akure, Ondo State and Jalingo, Taraba State, respectively; establishment and commencement of Masters of Engineering programme (M.Eng) in Nano Technology and Advanced Materials, Mechatronic Systems and Electronics Production Development with Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ife, Federal University of Technology, Owerri and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi respectively,
There is also the World Bank STEP- B Project which made use of NASENI’s facilities in teaching of Nanotechnology and Structural Materials, Machine Designs and Mechatronics, Electrical and Electronics and Product Development in three Nigerian universities: Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi and Federal University of Technology Owerri, respectively.
In recognition of the importance of science and technology, NASENI established two institutes to cater for STEM. The institutes are: Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI) Enugu, Enugu State with key focus on scientific equipment development/manufacture of scientific products and related capital goods. The second one is the Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI) Minna, Niger State set up to research into and develop systems for the mass-production of school science laboratory apparatus for physics, chemistry, biology, introductory technology, social studies, etc.
Since the assumption of office of the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu in September, 2023, the Agency has boosted capacity in the educational sector and made tremendous achievements through investments in its Development Institutes across states to support research and development (R&D) in Nigerian universities.
Last year, the Agency funded three research projects in Nigerian universities such as Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomosho, Oyo State and Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State.
The presentation of the research products which took place at the Technology Orientation Centre (TOC), NASENI headquarters in September 2024, marked the culmination of a collaborative effort that began in April 2023 when NASENI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three professors from the universities.
Professor Abass Alade, Department of Chemical Engineering, LAUTECH research focused on “Treatment of Aquaculture Waste Water Using Waste Banana and Plantain Stem Juice Composite through Integrated Filtracoagulation Cascade System”.
Also, Associate Professor Jimoh Oladejo Tijani, Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State researched on “Development of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes-Iron Tungstate Composite for Industrial Wastewater Purification”, while Dr. Sanusi Kolawole, Department of Pure and Applied Physics, LAUTECH, focused on “Development of Nano-coating Green Urea Fertilizer for Agricultural Production Enhancement”, respectively.
These research products are being planned for commercialization by the Agency. Through NASENI’s Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI) Enugu and Minna, the Agency developed Mobile Science Kits for STEM learning in primary and secondary schools.
It also developed five Multi-Experimental Work Station, Universal Bioreactor, Laboratory Bioreactor, Basic Science Tutorial Software, Transmission line trainer and Electronic kits for Technical and Tertiary Institution, as well as Mobile Standalone 500w Solar-power System Trainer.
It has also made available electronic kits for Technical and Tertiary Institution, Mobile Standalone 500w Solar Power System Trainer, Mobile Refrigeration Cycle System Trainer, Digital Logic Experiment Kit, Upgraded Primary Science Kit, Power Electronics Trainer Kit, Electronics Science Kits for Technical and Tertiary Institutions:
Other areas of investments by the Agency include the development and production of Logic Gates experimental kit, Electronics Science Kits for Technical and Tertiary Institutions, Power Electronics experimental kit, Electronics Science Kits for Technical and Tertiary Institutions as well as Oscillator experimental kit.
The Agency has indeed made inclusivity part of its investment in education by trying to raise the number of female engineers in Nigeria over next five years through the “Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her” (DELT-Her), an initiative launched in March 2024 which coincided with the global commemoration of International Women’s Day (IWD).
The initiative, a subset of Delta-2 programme was floated to close the gender gap in engineering practice in the country, inspire next generation of female engineers, provide financing support for new ideas and projects, translating them into viable businesses, and ultimately to strengthen the entire engineering ecosystem.
According to Mr. Halilu, “DELT-Her is what I call an opportunity platform”, through which girls and young women can pitch and present their exciting and groundbreaking engineering ideas, for funding by NASENI, through our collaboration with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT).
Speaking further on the project, he said, DELT-Her “seeks to correct the imbalance in practice and enterprise development, by focusing attention and funding on young women, and very importantly, creating and cultivating public awareness around the need to train and mentor more women into the engineering professions.”
What this means is that women should make up half of all professional spaces in the country but, for now, this is far from reality. The global average for female representation in engineering is 28 per cent. In Nigeria, it is only five percent, only one in 20 Nigerian engineers is a woman.
This awareness component of the work is one that we will take very seriously, working through schools, and storytelling campaigns. During the event, the EVC/CEO of NASENI presented N70.5 million grants to six female recipients of DELT- HER initiative to develop their research ideas into products.
NASENI has indeed made tremendous impact in the educational sector but more definitely needs to be done especially in the area of funding of NASENI because of the crucial nature of its responsibility. Halilu has assured of more commitment to ensure that President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is achieved through the deployment of Science, Technology and innovation (STI) in the economy.
The EVC/CEO, being a technology expert and entrepreneur is poised to leverage on technology transfer home-grown technology acumen within the Agency and Nigeria at large, to drive the core mandate of NASENI.
