NASENI, NiDCOM partner to drive innovation, technology with diaspora support
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) have announced a new collaboration aimed at leveraging the expertise of Nigerians in the diaspora to drive innovation, technology, and economic development at home.
The partnership was unveiled during a strategic meeting at NiDCOM headquarters in Abuja, where NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, and NiDCOM Chairman/CEO, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, described the initiative as a timely intervention to connect local innovators with scientists, engineers, technologists, and entrepreneurs abroad.
Halilu outlined some of NASENI’s ongoing projects, including Revolut, a payment platform providing thousands of Nigerians with low-cost, real-time transfers; the Innovation Hub and Incubation Programme, which funds scientists and innovators both at home and abroad; and Delta-2, a Nigeria–Czech Republic partnership entering its third phase in September to expand technology collaboration.
He said his visit to NiDCOM was to present two priority projects: a government-backed, multi-currency payment platform offering affordable real-time monitoring, and a diaspora engagement initiative designed to link Nigerian professionals abroad with innovation, science, and entrepreneurship opportunities at home.
Halilu praised NiDCOM’s database of diaspora professionals, saying it would play a crucial role in mobilising talent for the initiative.
In her remarks, Dabiri-Erewa described the partnership as a boost to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that it would create avenues for Nigerians worldwide to share skills, ideas, and experiences that strengthen the country’s innovation ecosystem.
She lauded NASENI’s initiatives and assured the agency of NiDCOM’s full support, urging them to participate in the upcoming 8th Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) scheduled for November 11–13, 2025, in Abuja.
Both agencies also agreed to establish a joint working committee to identify priority areas and design collaborative projects focused on science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and broader diaspora engagement.
