The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) is dedicating significant investments to advance Nigeria’s sustainable climate objectives, positioning the green economy as a cornerstone of the nation’s broader industrial growth and development strategy, under the guidance of Executive Vice Chairman/CEO Khalil Suleiman Halilu.
This effort is closely aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu‘s forward-looking agenda, which emphasizes the integration of ecological stewardship with economic progress.
Nigeria is currently grappling with escalating climate challenges such as intense flooding, prolonged droughts, and rising temperatures. These environmental pressures are causing widespread displacement, threatening vulnerable populations, exacerbating food shortages, and destabilizing the country’s economic framework.
The nation is witnessing a surge in extreme weather phenomena including heatwaves, droughts, and floods that devastate agricultural yields, decimate livestock, and damage vital infrastructure. While desertification is rapidly advancing in the northern regions, coastal areas in the south are increasingly vulnerable to sea-level rise and coastal erosion, collectively diminishing arable land and agricultural output.
Moreover, climate-driven migration is intensifying competition over resources, particularly between pastoralists and farmers, which in turn deepens poverty and heightens social tensions.
In response to these pressing issues, President Tinubu addressed a global audience at a virtual climate summit, calling on world leaders to unite with resolute determination to tackle the mounting climate crisis.
During a prominent online conference on climate and energy transition held on April 23, 2025, President Tinubu reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to a transformative development model where environmental sustainability and economic growth are pursued simultaneously.
He stated, “The global climate emergency requires bold and collective leadership. For Nigeria, this moment is pivotal: climate action is not a barrier to progress but a vital strategic priority.”
From Abuja, the President unveiled Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan (ETP), a pragmatic yet ambitious framework aimed at achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.
“We are actively reforming regulatory policies, fiscal incentives, and institutional structures to ensure that energy accessibility, decarbonization, and economic competitiveness advance in harmony. Nigeria is also leading initiatives to expand energy availability,” he affirmed.
Echoing this vision, NASENI’s CEO Khalil Suleiman Halilu highlighted the agency’s critical role in steering Nigeria’s shift toward sustainable climate solutions and a robust green economy.
At a climate change and green economic sustainability seminar held on September 23, 2025, at NASENI’s Abuja headquarters, Halilu underscored the agency’s essential contribution in providing scientific, technological, and engineering expertise crucial for Nigeria’s industrial progress.
He emphasized that NASENI’s core functions in research, development, and technology adaptation are increasingly aligned with global climate mitigation efforts. “Each solar panel installed, tractor refurbished, clean cookstove produced, and vehicle converted to CNG marks a stride toward an industrial sector resilient to climate challenges,” he remarked.
Halilu detailed several flagship NASENI projects, including renewable energy programs focused on manufacturing and distributing solar home systems, producing solar panels and lamps locally, and broadening access to clean electricity.
Clean cooking technologies are also a priority through the partnership with Powerstove Limited, which manufactures efficient cookstoves and biomass pellets designed to lower carbon emissions, enhance public health, and generate carbon credits.
In the agricultural sector, NASENI is pioneering agro-technologies and fertilizer production, developing organic and coal-based fertilizers to boost food security while reducing emissions associated with conventional chemical fertilizers.
On the transportation front, the agency supports vehicle conversions to CNG/LPG and the establishment of fueling stations, providing cleaner alternatives to traditional petrol and diesel fuels. In the realm of digital and smart manufacturing, NASENI is advancing local production of laptops, tablets, drones, and other intelligent devices, embedding sustainability principles into their design and manufacture.
Halilu also highlighted the Asset Restoration Programme (ARP), which revitalizes dormant government infrastructure to minimize waste, cut costs, and extend asset lifespans-an approach that is both economically sound and environmentally sustainable.
Engr. Muhammad Yadudu, Coordinator of NASENI’s Carbon Ecosystem, shared insights into the agency’s climate-centric industrial development initiatives. He stressed that NASENI’s mandate to research, develop, and localize technologies is now inseparable from the global mission to combat climate change and promote a sustainable economy.
Yadudu explained that NASENI’s portfolio exemplifies Nigeria’s commitment to a sustainable future, with renewable energy projects like NASENI Solar Energy LTD assembling and distributing solar home systems and encouraging local manufacturing of solar components to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
He further described how NASENI adopts circular economy principles by refurbishing and reusing assets instead of discarding them, promoting domestic production to lower emissions from imports, and aligning all efforts with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
“Our objective is to prove that infrastructure development and climate action can reinforce each other. Every solar system installed, tractor restored, clean cookstove produced, and CNG vehicle converted drives industrial growth that is also climate-resilient,” Yadudu affirmed.
Within the Clean Cooking & Carbon Reduction initiative, NASENI, through Powerstove LTD, produces clean cookstoves and biomass pellets aimed at cutting emissions, improving health outcomes, and unlocking carbon credit opportunities.
In agriculture, the agency pilots organic and coal-based fertilizers to reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers, enhance food security, and lower agricultural emissions.
For the transport energy transition, NASENI’s collaborations in CNG/LPG vehicle conversion and fueling infrastructure offer affordable, cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels, contributing to the decarbonization of Nigeria’s transport sector.
In digital and smart manufacturing, projects like IMOSE Technologies focus on local production of laptops, tablets, and smart devices, alongside drone and UAV development, all designed with sustainability at their core.
Engr. Patrick Offiaeli, Team Lead of NASENI’s Carbon Ecosystem, emphasized that the seminar exemplifies NASENI’s commitment to raising awareness and aligning its operations with Nigeria’s sustainability goals.
“This seminar marks a significant step in enhancing institutional capacity, deepening expertise, and reinforcing NASENI’s role in advancing Nigeria’s sustainability and innovation agenda,” Offiaeli stated.
The event convened NASENI personnel, experts, and stakeholders to exchange knowledge on embedding climate action within the agency’s mandate of developing indigenous technologies and revitalizing critical infrastructure.
NASENI’s holistic approach to sustainability transcends isolated projects, consistently demonstrating a dedication to harmonizing infrastructure development with environmental stewardship-ensuring prosperity today while protecting the future.