- Khalil Halilu, NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, positions Nigeria as a global leader in sustainability and innovation.
- He will launch the “ZeCo by NASENI” initiative in 2026 to drive clean mobility, renewable energy, and sustainable manufacturing.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Halilu, says Nigeria is emerging as a driving force for global sustainability and innovation.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, October 28, Halilu delivered a keynote address titled “Nigeria at the Heart of Global Sustainability” at the 2025 World Association of Young Scientists Conference in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, on October 26, 2025.
Meanwhile, he said stronger government and private sector collaboration is turning policy into practical outcomes. “This is what progress looks like: policy meets innovation, innovation meets people, and people meet opportunity,” Halilu said.
Furthermore, he highlighted Nigeria’s growing leadership in clean technology, renewable energy, and green manufacturing, crediting the creativity and dynamism of young Nigerians for driving the progress. “Young Nigerians, your ideas, energy, and innovation are at the global table. The world is watching what we build next. Let us move together,” he added.
Halilu reaffirmed NASENI’s commitment to domestication, adapting global technologies to meet local realities and needs. “It is not enough to import technology. We must adapt it. Domestication is how we make global innovation work for us in Nigeria,” he said.
He also announced the launch of ZeCo by NASENI in 2026, an initiative focusing on clean mobility, renewable energy systems, and sustainable manufacturing. The programme aims to position Nigeria as a hub for green innovation and circular economy solutions.
In addition, ZeCo by NASENI, which stands for Zero Carbon, Zero Cost, will promote investment in Nigerian ventures with carbon credit exposure and develop a framework for indigenous carbon-neutral technologies.
NASENI says the initiative supports its broader goal of advancing indigenous innovation, sustainable development, and economic growth through science and engineering. It also complements Nigeria’s first indigenous electric vehicle, developed by NASENI, as part of its vision for a sustainable, carbon-neutral future.