The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has emerged Young African Leader of the Year, reinforcing Nigeria’s growing influence in innovation-driven development across the continent.
The award, presented by the African Leadership Magazine at its Persons of the Year ceremony in Accra, Ghana, followed a rigorous multi-stage selection process that included editorial screening and a continent-wide public voting exercise. Halilu secured the highest number of votes in his category, underscoring widespread recognition of his leadership and reforms at NASENI.
The ceremony attracted notable African leaders, among them were the former presidents Jakaya Kikwete and John Kufuor, as well as other high-ranking dignitaries, reflecting the growing importance of leadership in shaping Africa’s development trajectory.
Halilu’s emergence comes on the back of sweeping reforms taking place at NASENI since his appointment in 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to drive Nigeria’s local manufacturing and innovation agenda. Under his stewardship, the Agency has undergone a strategic transformation aimed at bridging the gap between research and industrial production.
Speaking at the event themed “Leadership for a New Africa: Forging Our Peace, Owning Our Narrative,” Halilu stressed that Africa’s future must be anchored on production and industrial capability rather than dependence on external systems.
“At NASENI, our mandate is clear — move Nigeria from consumption to creation,” he said. He explained that the Agency has been repositioned along three defining shifts: “From Research to Products; From Unknown institution to National Relevance; and From Agency to Innovation Platform.”
According to him, these reforms are already yielding results across key sectors, including clean energy localisation, mechanised agriculture, and coal-to-fertiliser technology aimed at strengthening food security. He added that NASENI is also investing heavily in youth and women-focused innovation programmes such as Innovate Naija, DELT-Her, SheFly, and FutureMakers, as part of a broader push to build inclusive industrial growth.
Halilu anchored these initiatives on the Agency’s guiding principles — Creation, Collaboration and Commercialisation — noting that productivity remains central to sustainable peace and development on the continent.
“Peace in Africa must go beyond security. True peace is opportunity. It is jobs. It is production. It is young people building, not waiting,” he said.
Drawing from his earlier remarks at the West African Economic Summit, Halilu reiterated that policy ambitions alone would not transform Africa without corresponding industrial capacity. “If we do not produce what we consume, we cannot control our future,” he stated.
He further argued that Africa must begin to define its development trajectory internally by building its own solutions and strengthening regional value chains under frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“Owning our narrative means building African solutions. It means trusting African engineers. It means strengthening regional value chains,” he added.
The NASENI boss also outlined his vision of positioning the Agency as a continental hub for technology transfer and industrial collaboration, particularly in areas such as clean energy manufacturing, agricultural technology and engineering infrastructure.
“The New Africa must be defined by output, not potential. By factories, not import dependence. By execution, not excuses,” he said. The continental recognition adds to the recent domestic honours for both Halilu and NASENI.
The Agency was named Environmental Impact Organisation of the Year by Leadership Newspaper, while Halilu himself received an award for Outstanding Service in Innovation and Reforms from New Telegraph Newspaper recently.
Observers say the Accra recognition not only affirms Halilu’s leadership but also signals a broader shift towards homegrown solutions and industrial self-reliance in Africa’s development discourse.
As the continent grapples with economic diversification and job creation challenges, stakeholders at the event agreed that leadership anchored on innovation, execution and productivity would be critical to shaping Africa’s future.
For Halilu, the message remains clear and urgent: “The future is not ahead of us. It is being built by us.”