Khalil Halilu: The Industrialist Transforming Nigeria’s Manufacturing Future
When the African Leadership Magazine named him Young African Leader of the Year, Khalil Halilu showed why industrialisation matters. He leads Nigeria’s National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI). Under his tenure, the agency moved from dusty prototypes to market-ready, SON-certified products. Halilu introduced a focused strategy he calls the 3Cs: Creation, Collaboration, Commercialisation. By mid-2024, NASENI unveiled laptops, smartphones, lithium batteries and solar lamps. It added electric keke vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and solar irrigation systems. Plans are under way to open showrooms in all 36 states. His work addresses Nigeria’s reliance on imported goods. He builds local factories, trains technicians and forges industry partnerships. Halilu’s leadership shows that government-led industrialisation can reshape the economy and create new opportunities for Nigerian workers.
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