FIDs Surge: NCDMB to empower 10,000 Nigerians with high-demand skills
Sopuruchi Onwuka
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has launched a major Human Capital Development (HCD) initiative that will train more than 10,000 young Nigerians in the top 10 high-demand technical skills required in the country’s oil and gas sector.
The new Oil and Gas Field Readiness Training Program is designed to prepare graduates and technicians for employment in a wave of new industry projects that have reached Final Investment Decision (FID) or are approaching execution. The scheme aims to close identified skills gaps and ensure Nigerians are well-positioned to participate actively in the sector’s renewed investment cycle.
Announcing the program in Yenagoa, NCDMB’s Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, said the initiative was informed by an internal review of expatriate quota applications and extensive engagement with key industry groups such as the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), and the Petroleum Contractors Trade Section (PCTS). The skill areas were also selected based on the Board’s analysis of upcoming projects and studies by related agencies such as the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).
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The ten priority skill areas are subsea engineering, underwater welding, control and automation engineering, helicopter piloting, marine operations, production and maintenance engineering, quality assurance and control, geoscience, and digital technologies including AI, machine learning, and data analytics.
Ogbe said the initiative aligns with Section 10(1b) of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, which mandates that Nigerians be given first consideration for training and employment in all oil and gas operations.
The training program is open to applicants under 35 years with OND, HND, or B.Sc. degrees in disciplines such as petroleum, mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, gas, welding, metallurgy, geology, geophysics, computer science, and related fields. Applicants must register on the NCDMB’s Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC JQS) portal.
Engr. Bamidele Abayomi, Director of Capacity Building at NCDMB, said the program will be delivered over a two-to-three-year period, with periodic reviews to assess industry needs and update the skill focus areas. Each training stream will last a minimum of 12 months, combining classroom instruction, laboratory work, industry certifications, and at least six months of on-the-job training (OJT) with partner service companies.
At least three service providers will partner with NCDMB for each skill area, in addition to safety and soft-skills training by accredited members of the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN). Trainees will receive stipends, insurance, personal protective equipment, and medical screening during the program.
Graduates who complete the training and are certified as field-ready will be added to NCDMB’s National Skills Database, which is circulated among operating and service companies in compliance with the NOGICD Act.
The program’s rollout comes amid renewed investor confidence in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, marked by a surge in new project approvals. In recent months, major international oil companies have announced several large-scale developments following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s three Presidential Directives (PDs) in March 2024 to fast-track contracting timelines and unlock stalled investments.
Recent Final Investment Decisions include the US$2 billion HI Field Gas Project by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) and Sunlink Energies and Resources Limited, announced earlier this month; the US$550 million Ubeta Gas Project by TotalEnergies, sanctioned in September 2024; and Bonga North Deepwater, valued at US$5 billion, announced by SNEPCo in December 2024.
These projects, combined with others in the pipeline, are expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs and stimulate local content growth in line with the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the target of achieving a US$1 trillion economy.
Ogbe said the Board’s intervention aims to ensure that Nigerians are ready to take advantage of these opportunities.
“Our goal is to make sure that as these projects move into execution, Nigerians are not just bystanders but active participants in building and operating them,” he said.
The NCDMB initiative underscores the growing link between infrastructure investment and workforce readiness as Nigeria seeks to strengthen its energy sector competitiveness and maximize local participation in its oil and gas value chain.
