The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive the implementation of the Nigeria First Policy.
As part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Tinubu administration, the policy seeks to encourage local production and consumption of Nigerian goods and services.
It also supports Nigerian businesses and entrepreneurs by fostering economic growth and development, reducing dependency on imported goods, and promoting Nigerian culture and identity.
The policy further promotes the use of local content and indigenous solutions to address national and global challenges towards the creation of jobs, stimulation of economic activity, and increase of Nigeria’s competitiveness on the global stage.
Director General of BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, specifically said on Monday at the signing of the MoU in its office in Abuja that the partnership would promote local manufacturing, technology, innovation and Nigeria’s economic growth.
Adedokun said the MoU aimed to create a structured bridge between production and procurement, prioritising locally made solutions in public service delivery, which would promote value for money in public procurement.
According to him, “Today, we are not just signing an agreement. We are building a pipeline from Nigerian innovation to national transformation.
“The MoU we sign today aims to align our policies with our priorities. It gives practical force to the Nigeria First policy.
“NASENI’s innovations, from tractors to tablets, from surveillance drones to solar backup systems, will now be actively prioritised in the procurement plans of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
“We are institutionalising a framework that makes local options not just preferable, but the default option before all others.”
Adedokun explained that the partnership was not an act of protectionism but patriotism grounded in performance.
He said that NASENI had invested in quality assurance with its products certified by Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and NAFDAC.
Adedokun said that the role of BPP was to ensure that standards were rewarded with access and that MDAs no longer needed to look outside when the best was being made in Nigeria.
He said the bureau was backing its commitment to the partnership with NASENI with reform actions.
Adedokun said the BPP would integrate NASENI’s catalogue into the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), making NASENI’s offerings visible, verifiable, and measurable across all MDAs.
The BPP DG underscored the functional efficiency of NOCOPO, pointing out that “Between January and June 2025 alone, NOCOPO’s enhanced price intelligence helped Nigeria save over N173 billion equivalent to 155 million Dollars, and 1.7 million Euros.
“These are not just savings on paper. They are savings that free up resources for more schools, hospitals, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.”
Adedokun stated that the BPP and NASENI had set up a Technical Working Committee to synchronise production timelines with procurement cycles, which would track outcomes, identify bottlenecks, and ensure continuous improvement.
He commended NASENI for its efforts in putting Nigerian-made innovations on the map while calling on other MDAs to prioritise their products.
Read him: “I call on other sectors beyond NASENI to also come up with their own strategy for implementing Nigeria First. NASENI has led. I expect others to follow.”
Adedokun in a chat with journalist shortly after the signing of the MoU said that the implementation of the Nigeria First policy would take into consideration women, youths and people with disabilities, adding that “environmental issues and social inclusion are part of what we are doing,”
He said standardisation, technical competency and technical specifications were also key, pointing out that “the products that I have seen, the few times that I have visited NASENI are things that have global certifications; vehicles that are going to be coming in through their various vendors, all those solar materials are all certified by various global institutions and so even in our bidding documents we will begin to ask you: provide for small and medium scale businesses.”
According to him, “The Public Procurement Act already makes that provision. We are not doing anything new outside the Act. We are only enforcing what has been there and that is just the way to go. I am sure Nigerians will be proud when they begin to see, even your hair milk, being produced here in the country.”
Adedokun, in response to questions on appropriate sanctions, said there would be penalties for infractions.
“If you fail, we will apply appropriate sanctions. We debar you. We are working with the Federal Ministry of Justice to reel out what we call the debarment process. Anybody who violates it will be referred to the conditions in the debarment.
“We will soon be launching that one too. We are also launching the community-based procurement to support Nigeria First policy. This means our procurements will be giving opportunities to all communities who have expertise in one area or another. Whatever you can produce, come up with it, we will give you the first opportunity for Nigerians to patronise you. These are all parts of Nigeria First policy and our collaboration with NASENI.”
Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO of NASENI, Mr Khalil Halilu, said the MoU was expected to attract more investments into the country and promote local manufacturing.
Halilu said the agreement would provide priority patronage to companies that partnered NASENI.
According to him, “The MoU further strengthens our efforts, pushing the Nigerian First Policy, and we look forward to assembling more locally made items as well as promoting more industrialisation in the country.”
He said that NASENI had received no fewer than 900 applications from companies to partner them in the past one and a half years because of its rebranding and new partnerships.
Halilu said that with the signing of the MoU and implementation of the Nigeria First Policy, 80% of challenges faced while trying to convince investors and foreign partners would have been solved;
He stated that Nigeria would cease to be dumping ground for foreign goods, while focus on promotion of Nigerian products, goods and services would be emphasised.
Halilu said that with support now coming from BPP, the over 50 market-ready NASENI products would be off the shelves and gain patronage by Nigerians.
He announced that NASENI had attracted into the country over $2 billion DFI from its recent partnership activities with China alone.
Read Halilu: “One thing that is clear when I took over the leadership of NASENI was the determination to move the Agency from just producing prototypes to commercialisation of its technologies and products. This was complemented by the turnaround, which we did in rebranding the agency.
“We have 50 market-ready Nigeria branded products. NASENI is building the biggest renewable energy park in Nasarawa and has entered into partnership with Abuja Technology Village to boost Technology Transfer and innovation, enhance local manufacturing capacity, transform NASENI’s research-focused installation into full production facilities, promote national brands and local production,” he stated.
Signed
Zira Zakka Nagga
Head of Public Relations (BPP)
29th July, 2025
