By Maryam Aminu
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has equipped youths and women in Ile-Ife, Osun State, with advanced technical skills and work equipment, in a move aimed at helping beneficiaries build sustainable businesses, create jobs and achieve economic independence.
The intervention was delivered under the Agency’s NASENI Sustainable Empowerment Programme (NSEP) during a three-day training held from August 7 to 9, 2026, at the NASENI Skills Acquisition Centre, Ile-Ife.
Beneficiaries were trained in advanced photography and drone operations, shoemaking, CCTV and inverter installations, and tailoring, with participants receiving practical knowledge and equipment to enable them to immediately apply their skills and establish or expand income-generating ventures.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, represented by the Overseeing Officer of the Prototype Engineering Development Institute (PEDI), Ilesha, Ahmed Olaoye Hamzat, said the programme was designed to take empowerment beyond the award of certificates.
He said the initiative combined practical skills acquisition with the provision of relevant equipment so beneficiaries could translate their training into sustainable livelihoods and viable enterprises.
According to Halilu, the equipment should be seen as “starter tools” for building businesses rather than mere empowerment items. He urged participants to use their newly acquired skills to provide quality services, train others, create employment and contribute to the development of their communities.
He said the success of NSEP would ultimately be measured by its multiplier effect, noting that a beneficiary who grows a business, employs another young person, trains an apprentice or provides reliable technical services would be advancing the core objectives of the programme.
The NASENI chief executive also reiterated that the Agency’s empowerment interventions are anchored on its 3Cs of Creation, Collaboration and Commercialisation, through which it develops innovative solutions, works with stakeholders and communities, and converts technologies, skills and innovations into economic value.
Halilu commended community leaders, trainers, partners and other stakeholders for supporting the programme. He particularly acknowledged the Chairman of the House Committee on NASENI, Hon. Taofeek Abimbola Ajilesoro, for his partnership and support in expanding technology-driven opportunities for youths and women.
Also speaking, Ajilesoro, represented by Felix Olayemi Oruma, commended NASENI for taking the skills acquisition initiative to Ile-Ife, describing the intervention as a practical pathway to economic productivity.
Oruma said the beneficiaries had gained exposure to modern techniques and equipment in tailoring, CCTV and inverter installation, shoemaking, photography and drone operations, which he said would enable them to upgrade their skills and improve professional standards.
He described the programme as a sustainable model of empowerment, saying it was focused on equipping Nigerians with the capacity to become self-reliant rather than providing temporary assistance.
He further commended NASENI for its interventions in innovation, reverse engineering, local assembly and indigenous technology development, noting that the Agency had continued to strengthen its relevance through initiatives that develop human capacity and create economic opportunities.
The Ile-Ife intervention forms part of NASENI’s broader effort to promote technology-based skills, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods by linking practical training with the tools required to turn acquired knowledge into productive economic activity.
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