The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Halilu, of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), has reiterated the agency’s dedication to supporting women-led innovation and increasing female representation in engineering profession.
Halilu who stated this Thursday at award ceremony for Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her (DELT-Her 2.0) in Abuja, organized by NASENI in partnership with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT), underscored the agency’s ambition to double the number of female engineers in Nigeria within the next five years.
According to him, 14 female engineers were awarded a total sum of over N200 million in grants funding to support their innovative projects.
He said their work covers vital sectors including agriculture, health, clean energy, digital security and environmental sustainability promising tangible impact on the society and economy.
He disclosed that they were selected from 9,925 proposals against the 150 received in the first edition.
Halilu said DELT-Her represents an opportunity platform through which women can turn bold engineering ideas into solutions that change the world.
“We presenting opportunities for through which women can turn bold engineering ideas into solutions that can change the world. When we launched DELT-Her on international women’s Day in 2024, our goal was simple but ambitious; to close gender gap in engineering and create an ecosystem where young women do not just participate but lead.
“The first edition of DELT-Her 2024 ignited a movement empowering about 6 outstanding female engineers and empowering them with N 6 million grant support. At NASENI we believe that gender inclusion is not just mere charity but strategy
“Every woman empowered through Delt Her represent a new capacity to for nation’s technology and manufacturing ecosystem. Each one has a special perspective that inspires better design, smarter product and more human centered innovation,” he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the chairman of PICTT Engr, Muhammed Dahiru, Delt Her was built from a national vision to rectify gender imbalance in STEM fields by fostering environment where women can thrive in engineering.
Her said Delt Her has expanded its grass roots outreach through targeted STEM engagement initiatives.
“In 2024 we mentored 30 school children in the FCT. This year we have scaled significantly reaching over 150 girls across Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa and the FCT,” he said.
The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, represented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi, reaffirmed the commitment of the Senate to the ideals represented by NASENI including indigenous production, local content development and gender inclusion in science and technology.
“We believe that a nation that builds its technology builds its destiny and a nation that empowers its women secures its future,” he added.
