The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, Mr Khalil Halilu, has called on African leaders to prioritise industrial capacity, innovation, and measurable output as the foundation for the continent’s transformation.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Director of Information, Mr Olusegun Ayeoyenikan, Halilu made the call in Accra, Ghana, while speaking at the African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Ceremony.

The event, themed “Leadership for a New Africa: Forging Our Peace, Owning Our Narrative,” drew prominent African statesmen, including former President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete; Prime Minister of Lesotho Samuel Matekane; former President of Ghana John Kufuor; Vice President of Angola Esperança da Costa; and Sierra Leone’s Information Minister Sheku Ahmed Bangura.

Speaking on Africa’s development trajectory, Halilu said the continent’s future must be anchored on production rather than dependence. “At NASENI, our mandate is clear to move Nigeria from consumption to creation,” he said.

He said policy declarations alone would not deliver economic sovereignty, stressing that industrial capability must underpin Africa’s aspirations. “If we do not produce what we consume, we cannot control our future,” Halilu stated, reiterating a position he previously expressed at the West African Economic Summit held in June last year.

According to him, since his appointment in 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, NASENI has undergone a strategic repositioning aimed at delivering tangible products and commercial outcomes.

“We have moved from research to products, from being largely unknown to achieving national relevance, and from operating as an agency to functioning as an innovation platform,” he said.

Under his leadership, the agency is advancing clean energy localisation, mechanised agriculture, coal-to-fertiliser technology to support food security, and decentralised manufacturing models. He also highlighted youth-focused and women-driven innovation programmes, including Innovate Naija, DELT-Her, Shefly, FutureMakers, and women in engineering initiatives.

Halilu said the interventions are guided by NASENI’s 3Cs operational framework of Creation, Collaboration, and Commercialisation, designed to ensure innovation translates into scalable industrial output.

He urged African governments to shift from rhetoric to execution. “The New Africa must be defined by output, not potential. The future is being built by us.”