The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has signed an agreement worth $21.7 million with eleven firms in Nigeria as beneficiaries for take-off of the Delta-2 Projects, being the outcome of the bilateral collaboration between the federal government of Nigeria and the Czech Republic.
The Delta-2 Programme is being implemented by the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer/Information Exchange (PICTT), NASENI as implementing Agency for Nigeria, working in partnership with the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR).
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr Khalil Suleiman Halilu in his welcome address on Monday at the Agency’s headquarters, said the Delta 2 programme, which was launched in 2022, designed with the aim of funding and enabling research, development and innovation projects in Agriculture, Mining, and General Manufacturing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
He added that With $21.7 million set aside to finance the selected projects, TA CR will contribute $11.7 million while NASENI will contribute $10 million as counterpart fund. The bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and the Czech Republic began on 15th May, 2014, according to a statement e-signed by the Director of Information, NASENI, Segun Ayeoyenikan.
Mr. Halilu emphasized that the Delta-2 Programme was yet another manifestation of NASENI’s commitment to fulfilling its mandate of transforming Nigeria’s technology and innovation landscape, through sustained focus on its 3Cs principles of Collaboration, Creation and Commercialization.
The EVC/CEO reiterated that for every single kobo that NASENI will invest into this phase of the Delta-2 program, to develop new projects and products, the Agency will realize almost six naira (N6) in commercial returns, in addition to job creation opportunities, capacity building and technology transfer.
The Nigerian beneficiary companies are expected to come up with various products and services to be injected into the Nigeria economy.
