NASENI Boss Urges Universities to Innovate for Growth

Dr. Khalid Halilu, the Vice Executive Chairman of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), emphasized the need for Nigerian universities to embrace innovation and transition their teaching and research towards fostering economic growth.

He made this call while delivering a guest lecture at the 4th Engineer Joseph Oyeyani Makoju Memorial Lecture held at the Federal University Lokoja. Halilu pointed out that for Nigeria to become a self-reliant and productive nation, universities must evolve beyond traditional teaching and research.

He highlighted the importance of the third mission of universities, which is to deliver economic and societal impact through innovation. Furthermore, he noted that the commercialization of research and development outputs remains a critical missing link in Nigeria's development, despite the country's wealth of talent and ideas.