Tinubu places industrialisation at centre of economic transformation – Information minister

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, says President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda places industrialisation, technology and youth empowerment at the centre of Nigeria’s economic transformation.

Mr Idris said this on Tuesday during the Presidential Media Team Tour of the headquarters of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, in Abuja.

He said the agenda was also creating an enabling environment for investment, enterprise and sustainable job creation.

“President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is translating bold policies into tangible projects, jobs, innovation and economic opportunities across the country,” he said.

The minister said the National Renewed Hope Media Tour was designed to give Nigerians firsthand access to projects and programmes being implemented by the Federal Government.

“We want Nigerians to see for themselves how government policies are being translated into tangible projects, jobs, innovation and opportunities.

“Transparency is strengthened when government institutions actively engage the public, while accountability is enhanced when citizens can independently verify progress,” he said.

Mr Idris said NASENI remained a strategic institution driving Nigeria’s industrial transformation through science, engineering and technology.

He said the agency’s interventions spanned local manufacturing, renewable energy, agricultural mechanisation, digital technology and skills development.

According to him, President Tinubu’s vision is to build a productive, self-reliant economy anchored on innovation, local value addition and industrial competitiveness.

“Our vision is clear: to move Nigeria from being primarily a consumer nation to becoming a nation of producers, innovators and exporters,” he said.

The minister commended NASENI’s management and staff for advancing indigenous technology and engineering solutions that were strengthening Nigeria’s productive capacity and reducing dependence on imports.

He also commended members of the Presidential Media Team for supporting the Federal Government’s commitment to openness by providing Nigerians with factual, balanced and firsthand reports on the implementation of key government programmes and projects.

Mr Idris thereafter declared the Presidential Media Team Tour of NASENI open.

Earlier, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Khalil Halilu, said the agency was implementing a practical industrialisation strategy focused on local manufacturing, technology transfer, healthcare innovation and commercialisation of research.

He said NASENI’s interventions now covered eight key industrial sectors, with projects spread across the six geopolitical zones and the FCT.

“Our goal is to build sustainable industries by designing products for the Nigerian market, assembling them locally, gradually increasing local content and creating factories that can compete globally.

“That is how we have been able to establish more than 20 factories within a short period,” Mr Halilu said.

The event was attended by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga; the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare; and the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman.

Others included the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Communication and Citizen Engagement, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz; and other dignitaries.
NAN