Lokpobiri Tasks OGTAN on Oil, Gas Manpower Export to Africa

Nigeria is positioning its oil and gas professionals to fill manpower gaps across Africa as fresh investments and major projects revive the continent’s petroleum industry, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has said.

Lokpobiri, who spoke at the OGTAN Human Capital Development Conference and Exhibition in Effurun, Delta State, urged the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) to expand training beyond domestic needs and prepare workers for opportunities across Africa.

He said countries under the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), including Angola, Congo and Gabon, had shown interest in employing Nigerian professionals because of the country’s established oil and gas expertise.

The minister said ongoing reforms and incentives by the Federal Government were attracting investors to Nigeria, creating demand for globally competitive manpower.

He pledged government support for OGTAN and the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, through the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Human Capital Development Fund.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, however, warned that a shortage of skilled workers could undermine the industry’s expected investment boom.

Eyesan said years of low investment had weakened Nigeria’s technical workforce, with fewer geoscientists, engineers and other specialists available to support new projects.

She said investment in the sector dropped from about $24 billion in 2014 to roughly $2 billion in 2023, stressing the need for urgent workforce development to achieve Nigeria’s target of three million barrels of oil production by 2030 and increased gas output.

“Training curricula need to evolve,” she said, urging industry stakeholders to focus on digital operations, advanced geoscience, digital twins and modern drilling technologies.

OGTAN President, Christopher Osarunwense, said collaboration among government, regulators, operators, training institutions and academia was critical to addressing manpower challenges.

Other stakeholders, including the NCDMB, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) and PTI, called for improved industry exposure, modern training facilities and stronger partnerships to prepare Nigerian workers for emerging opportunities.