Public-Private Partnerships: NASENI Drives Abuja Tech Village Growth

NASENI's Vision for Technological Advancement and Economic Growth

Abuja Technology Village (ATV) stands as a beacon of innovation, offering state-of-the-art infrastructure and a supportive environment that attracts both local and international companies, research institutions, and tech entrepreneurs. The village focuses on key sectors such as Information and Communication Technology, Biotechnology, Minerals Technology, and Energy Technology. By facilitating collaboration, innovation, and growth, ATV aims to drive economic development, create employment opportunities, and position Nigeria as a leader in the global technology landscape.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has emphasized the agency’s commitment to transforming its site at Abuja Technology Village into a fully-fledged manufacturing hub. He stated that NASENI will work with both local and foreign partners to achieve this goal. The initiative is expected to attract investments, generate jobs, and promote national brands and local production through ATV.

Halilu highlighted that NASENI has developed 35 market-viable products last year, including solar-powered tricycles, modular rice mills, drone prototypes, and lithium battery components. These innovations are being targeted for commercialization under NASENI’s new investment ecosystem. The partnership with ATV is seen as a critical step in turning these prototypes into real, market-ready products.

The Acting Managing Director of Abuja Technology Village Free Zone Company, Mr. Isa Yusuf Shafeek, praised the collaboration, calling it timely and vital for Nigeria’s industrial development. He noted that ATV is ready to work with NASENI on various technology-driven projects, emphasizing the mutual benefits of the partnership, such as strategic location, investment incentives, and a shared vision for technological advancement.

Dr. Dahiru Mohammed, Special Adviser on Foreign Partners Inter-Governmental Affairs to NASENI EVC, stressed the importance of the initiative for Nigeria’s human capital development. He pointed out that establishing factories and attracting tech companies has been a top priority for the new NASENI leadership. Dr. Mohammed also mentioned that the high level of interest generated by the partnership may require more space beyond the current 300 hectares.

Agricultural Innovation and Industrial Development

In Bauchi State, the 'Irrigate Nigeria' initiative, launched in March 2025 under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, seeks to unlock the nation’s vast arable land by deploying solar-powered, automated irrigation systems across smallholder clusters. This initiative replaces past reliance on erratic rainfall with a transparent model that emphasizes private investment, technical support, and farmers’ active repayment through harvests.

The scheme is designed to stabilize commodity prices and boost commercial farming, recently inaugurated in Udubo, Gamawa LGA, where over 30,000 hectares are expected to be cultivated annually. Central to its success is collaboration between NASENI providing technological infrastructure, the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund (RHIDF) financing public components, and private investors supplying expertise and management.

This partnership transcends food security; it nurtures agricultural resilience, empowers women and youth, and fosters a shift away from subsistence farming. NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, emphasized that the initiative is built not just on irrigation technology but also on improved seeds, fertilizer supply, water management training, and agribusiness coaching.

Expanding into Energy and Manufacturing

In May 2024, NASENI made its first equity investment in the clean-energy firm Powerstove, scaling its production from 100,000 to over one million cookstoves annually. This milestone not only addresses clean cooking adoption in Nigeria but also enables access to carbon-credit revenue, positioning NASENI as both investor and technological mentor.

Similarly, in March 2025, NASENI announced a partnership with Adeayworld Energy and China's Zhejiang Sinray Electronics to locally manufacture and distribute certified compressed natural gas (CNG) kits. Under the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PiCNG), this collaboration aligns with ISO standards and seeks to reduce reliance on petrol and diesel, drive fuel efficiency, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

President Bola Tinubu underscored the importance of the CNG initiative by inaugurating the NASENI CNG Centre in Abuja, located in Utako, in June 2024. The facility, established in partnership with Portland Gas Limited and Kia, is capable of converting 15 vehicles every two hours, equivalent to approximately 2,700 conversions per month. The launch was a public demonstration of Nigeria's readiness to embrace alternative energy options, gas conversion, and electric vehicles.

Fostering Grassroots Innovation

To bolster grassroots innovation and retain technical talent, NASENI partnered with AfriLabs in May 2024 to establish the NASENI Innovation Hub in Abuja, designed to incubate startups and attract diaspora professionals through programmes such as Reverse Japa, DeltHer, and NASENI Xceler8.

The AfriLabs-NASENI Innovation Hub in Abuja is preparing to incubate multiple cohorts focused on reverse Japa to attract diaspora talent, women-led engineering ventures under the DELT-Her programme, youth teams via FutureMakers, and tech start-ups via NASENI Xceler8.

In a further push to energize local industry, NASENI in May 2025 partnered with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) and Haier Technologies to deliver a 20-megawatt embedded solar power plant at Challawa Industrial Area in Kano. The plant aims to power factories in the zone and reduce dependence on grid supply.

Across agriculture, energy, and manufacturing, a common thread underpins NASENI's PPP strategy of translating science into commerce. It bridges the gap between innovation and industrialisation, offering incubation, capacity building, and commercialization pipelines for technologies previously dormant on shelves. This integrated model stands in stark contrast to legacy systems that falter due to bureaucracy and poor funding flows.