As part of efforts to promote made-in-Nigeria products and strengthen the local manufacturing sector, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has launched strategies to address negative perceptions and obstacles hindering indigenous products.
The intervention agency identified inferior quality, affordability, and public perception as key challenges that must be tackled to enhance the patronage of locally made products and enable them to compete favourably in the global market, thereby driving the nation’s economic growth.
NASENI, however, emphasised the need for a unified approach to strengthen Nigeria’s industrial sector and reiterated its resolve to promote made-in-Nigeria products.
Speaking during an engagement held in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, with key stakeholders from both the public and private sectors—particularly industry players, regulatory bodies, and research institutions—the Deputy Director of Engineering at NASENI, Joseph Alasoluyi, stated that the programme was designed to find solutions to factors hindering made-in-Nigeria products and to accelerate homegrown technological advancements.
Alasoluyi traced the agency’s journey since its establishment in 1992, noting that NASENI was set up to promote science, technology, and engineering as a foundation for Nigeria’s development and currently operates 12 institutes nationwide to achieve its objectives.
He said, “The idea of this programme is to interface and ensure we produce products using indigenous technology. NASENI is committed to encouraging homegrown technologies.
“We aim to integrate efforts to ensure that local technology is utilised to develop products using available resources.”
“NASENI’s ‘3Cs’—Creation, Collaboration, and Commercialisation—define its strategic mandate: creating innovations through research, collaborating with partners to develop and refine products, and commercialising these solutions to benefit the economy.”
“Our achievements include the development of solar irrigation systems, CNG conversion centres, machines capable of producing up to 1,000 blocks per hour, 10-inch tablets, locally made laptops, and electric tricycles (Keke Napep) set for market launch.”
Alasoluyi also highlighted the Irrigate Nigeria Project, a presidential initiative championed by NASENI to ensure year-round agricultural production through innovative irrigation systems.
He disclosed how a team reverse-engineered a charcoal stove originally imported from China, improving its durability and functionality—demonstrating that Nigerian innovations can outperform imported counterparts when given the right support.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Dr Samuel Oluyamo, stressed that many promising research outputs remain dormant due to lack of funding and weak linkages between research institutions and industry.
Oluyamo questioned the federal government’s commitment to funding research and development, lamenting the lack of support for commercialisation and poor infrastructure, which have hindered many academic innovations.
He said, “Until we scale up research into mass production, technological growth will remain elusive.”
Meanwhile, the representative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Adekole Adetokunbo, noted that poor product quality, limited public awareness, and price variations have made Nigerian products less competitive.
She, however, stressed the need for strategic branding and consumer education to enhance public confidence in Nigerian-made goods.
A representative from the National Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Akadiri Olawaseun, stressed that Nigeria’s core industrial challenge is a perception problem, fuelled by weak government policies.
He argued that Nigerian-made products, such as electrical cables, are often superior to foreign alternatives but suffer from limited trust and poor advocacy.
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