National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has empowered no fewer than 250 indigenes of Asaga community in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia with renewable energy solutions and other productive tools.
The beneficiaries received the items under the agency’s ongoing NASENI Sustainable Empowerment Programme (NSEP) on Thursday.
The empowerment programme included NASENI Home Solar Solutions, comprising solar panels, solar fans and power banks, as well as cookstoves and other tools aimed at improving productivity and supporting sustainable livelihoods.
The Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the programme was designed to provide Nigerians with relevant skills, tools and technologies to enable them to become more productive and participate meaningfully in the country’s growing innovation-driven economy.
Halilu, in his address at the flag-off of the programme in Ohafia, said NASENI’s presence in Abia was significant because of the state’s reputation for enterprise, creativity and manufacturing.
According to him, the qualities align with the agency’s renewed focus on creation, collaboration and commercialisation.
“NASENI’s mandate is ultimately about people. We believe that science, technology and engineering must move beyond laboratories and institutions and translate into practical solutions that improve livelihoods, create opportunities and strengthen communities.
“That is the thinking behind the NASENI Sustainable Empowerment Programme,” he said.
Halilu said the agency was taking its interventions directly to Nigerians by providing relevant technologies and tools capable of helping beneficiaries build sustainable livelihoods.
He said NASENI was also shifting from research for its own sake to developing solutions that individuals could use, businesses could adopt and industries could scale.
“Our presence here in Abia State is particularly significant.
“Abia has long been recognised for its enterprise, creativity, manufacturing culture and the determination of its people to create value.
“These qualities strongly align with the new NASENI we are building — an institution focused on creation, collaboration and commercialisation,” he said.
Halilu said the NSEP was an important part of the agency’s efforts to ensure that innovation translated into meaningful impact in communities.
He urged the beneficiaries to see the support as an investment in their productive capacity rather than a handout.
“To our beneficiaries, the support you receive today is not simply a handout. It is an opportunity and an investment in your productive capacity.
“We expect you to put it to work, create value from it, improve your livelihoods and, where possible, create opportunities for others,” he said.
The NASENI boss said the agency would measure the impact of its interventions, adding that its success would not be determined merely by the number of programmes organised or items distributed.
“Success is the number of lives improved, businesses strengthened, jobs supported and communities made more productive,” he said.
In his goodwill message, the Managing Director of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Dr Armstrong Ume Takang, commended NASENI for bringing the empowerment programme to his hometown.
Takang said the initiative demonstrated efforts by the Federal Government to ensure that Nigerians benefited from good governance through programmes aimed at promoting job creation and self-reliance.
He called for sustained collaboration between NASENI and stakeholders in Abia to enable more young people in the state to develop their existing skills and potentials.
According to him, the flag-off of the NSEP in Ohafia provides an opportunity to deepen collaboration and create more avenues for youth empowerment and sustainable economic development in the state.
