SETI Kano: A Testament Of NASENI’s Drive Toward Socio-economic Development

Since the emergence of Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu as Executive Vice Chairman (EVC/CEO) of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), the Nigeria’s technology and economic landscapes have received tremendous boost in the area of capacity building, through the establishment of new institutions and strengthening of existing ones.

Recently, NASENI commenced construction of the Sustainable & Emerging Technologies Institute (SETI) in Kano, a move that will transform the state and its environs as well as put the state on the paths of receiving massive investments in new technologies that will boost commerce, increase job creation opportunities, value addition including improvements in the general economy.

Mr. Halilu has been consistent in demonstrating commitment to ensure the implementation of policies and programmes under the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government.

Halilu during the ground-breaking ceremony held at the New Campus, Bayero University Kano (BUK), said the new institute sits on 30 hectares of the BUK’s land. It will comprise state-of-the-art facilities, including innovation hub devoted to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge technologies, complemented by reliable power supply.

According to Halilu, “NASENI will fully build, equip and support the new Institute’’, adding that  “the future of socio-economic development for nations rests on human creativity, innovation and cooperation, artificial intelligence, robotics, amongst others.”

It is instructive that the establishment of SETI in Nigeria is to rapidly respond to the waves of young people globally revolutionizing world economies with unprecedented emergence of socio-economic frontiers as by-products of innovations and ingenuities of these young minds.

“We in NASENI are firm believers in the potential of young Nigerians to be the prime catalysts of the type of transformation that Nigeria requires. And we will do everything within our powers to support them to fulfill this important responsibility.

“We are gathered here today to kick-start a project that will transform the lives and careers of future generations of young Nigerians. The Sustainable & Emerging Technologies Institute (SETI), located at the Bayero University Kano (BUK) by NASENI is very much in line with our operating principles; what we call our 3Cs: Creation, Collaboration and Commercialization.

“These 3Cs are the principles that passionately drive us and guide the work that we do to ensure the industrialization of Nigeria in line with the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said. SETI will produce innovators, technologists, entrepreneurs who will make their mark not just in Nigeria but around the world.

“I’m eagerly looking forward to the day, not too long from now, when the institute’s first set of beneficiaries will astonish the world with what they are capable of accomplishing. These stories will put not just BUK on the global innovation map, but also Kano State and the entire Nigeria” Halilu said.

To underscore the importance of the event, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, while carrying out the symbolic foundation laying ceremony of the institute as Special Guest of Honour, described the project as not only laudable but NASENI’s another way of fast-tracking the placing of Nigeria on the global map of innovation and industrialization.

The minister called the project an “ace project” and a pointer to secure a veritable socio-economic development for the nation. The project is a means through which industry experts and entrepreneurs will collaborate with the academia to ensure that researches are specifically directed to commercially viable products, which is why SETI Kano is sited inside an academic institution.

The Vice Chancellor of BUK, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas described the new institute as a vehicle for bringing together the three critical tripods for economic and sustainable development for nations, that is, the government, academia and industry. He described the ground-breaking event as the “beginning of Nigeria’s journey in pursuit of sustainable development, massive job creation opportunities for the youths, and that the BUK was delighted to be host to such laudable initiative and momentum.”

There is also, in addition to SETI, a second NASENI project for BUK, an Agri-preneurship Training Hub, that will be equipped with modern greenhouses, and facilities for Soilless Farming, and Tissue Culture; occupying 10 hectares of land at the Old Campus. These projects collectively represent what NASENI stands for, that is, building capacity, advancing industrialization, supporting economic growth and prosperity.

SETI Kano is a demonstration of NASENI’s quest to foster an innovative ecosystem to create equilibrium between industry and expertise and to drive the country towards a safe deployment of advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence.

Recall that penultimate week, Nigeria and other African countries participated in the just concluded Paris Action summit on AI and it is instructive that Nigeria will deploy the technology to drive economic development and boost investment in critical sectors.

AI is transforming today’s world in enormous ways and unleashing massive opportunities in many fields and NASENI’s efforts in this direction is illustrated by Nigeria’s collective efforts to exploit the benefits of this technology and adequately manage its challenges and risks.

The NASENI boss’ robust actions are encapsulated in the intentional approach to create a market for the commercialization of products manufactured by all institutes under the Agency.  Recently, NASENI directed all its Development Institutes and companies to henceforth patronize its own products, ensure collaboration and enhance the drive toward full commercialization of products and technologies from the Agency.

The new policy approved by Halilu highlights the importance of internal endorsement and usage of the Agency’s products to build market credibility and strengthen internal collaboration. It is coming as a critical step toward increasing the adoption and success of NASENI innovations in external markets.

The policy calls for inter-institute patronage to support commercialization strategy of the Agency in which the eleven Development Institutes of NASENI with other emerging ones are expected to patronize one another’s products, capital goods, and innovations first as permitted by the procurement laws, before such products are released to external markets.

It is therefore apt that NASENI is making these all-encompassing investments and is also mindful of the stakeholder components, across all cadre including the Government and people of Kano State, the Bayero University Kano (BUK), Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, National assembly members, especially the NASENI oversight committees in both chambers.

The overall credit goes to the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who doubles as Chairman of the Governing Board of NASENI who has given the Agency the enabling environment through his unwavering demonstration of commitment to the success of Nigeria’s industrialisation.