The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has empowered youths and women in Ile-Ife, Osun State, with advanced technical skills and work equipment under its Sustainable Empowerment Programme (NSEP).
The three-day programme, held from August 7 to 9, 2026, at the NASENI Skills Acquisition Centre, Ile-Ife, trained beneficiaries in Advanced Photography and Drone Operations, Advanced Shoemaking, CCTV and Inverter/Solar Installation, and Advanced Tailoring.
Beneficiaries were also provided with relevant equipment and accessories to enable them to immediately deploy their skills, establish businesses and strengthen existing income-generating ventures.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, represented by the Overseeing Officer of the Prototype Engineering Development Institute (PEDI), Ilesha, Mr. Ahmed Olaoye Hamzat, said NSEP was designed to move empowerment beyond certificates to sustainable economic opportunities.
“At NASENI, we believe that empowerment must go beyond certificates. It must provide people with practical skills, tools and opportunities that can translate into livelihoods, businesses and sustainable economic independence,” Halilu said.
He explained that NSEP is part of NASENI’s broader strategy to build practical capacity among Nigerians in renewable energy, agricultural production, STEM, ICT and other engineering technologies.
“Our objective is straightforward: to build people who can build solutions,” he added.
Halilu urged the beneficiaries to regard the equipment provided as starter tools for enterprise rather than simply empowerment items, encouraging them to use their skills to provide services, build businesses, train others and create jobs within their communities.
He said the programme reflects NASENI’s 3Cs of Creation, Collaboration and Commercialisation, through which the Agency seeks to translate technology, skills and partnerships into measurable economic value.
The EVC/CEO also commended the Chairman, House Committee on NASENI, Hon. Taofeek Abimbola Ajilesoro, for his partnership and support towards the successful implementation of the programme.
According to him, the collaboration demonstrates the impact that can be achieved when public institutions and elected representatives work together to expand access to practical skills, technology and economic opportunities, particularly for youths and women.
In his remarks, Ajilesoro, represented by Mr. Felix Olayemi Oruma, commended NASENI under Halilu’s leadership for bringing the intervention to Ile-Ife, noting that the Agency has continued to expand its impact through innovation, reverse engineering, local manufacturing and the development of indigenous technologies.
He said the training would enable beneficiaries to upgrade their existing skills, improve professional standards and maximise the use of modern equipment to create sustainable livelihoods.
Ajilesoro described the initiative as a more sustainable approach to empowerment, noting that equipping people with practical skills and productive tools creates opportunities for long-term economic independence.
The Ile-Ife intervention is part of NASENI’s broader Sustainable Empowerment Programme aimed at equipping Nigerians across communities with practical skills, technologies and productive tools to strengthen livelihoods, encourage entrepreneurship and contribute to Nigeria’s industrial development.
