OGTAN calls for improved local content development in Nigeria

THE Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) has called an improved local content development to guarantee job retention in domestic oil and gas industry. OGTAN’s President, Dr Mayowa Afe, said retention of oil and gas trainees would save the country billions of dollars and create more job opportunities for Nigerians.

According to a statement by the Director of Media Communications, John Itua, which was made available to Tribune Online on Wednesday, Dr Afe, said as a result, the body is putting in place to measures to sensitize stakeholders on the importance of continuous training and building in-country capacity in the sector.

However, he said OGTAN will its national executive council in Lagos. “The Inauguration will have the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, as the Guest Speaker.

According to him, “There is need to standardize training to get more value; training should be domesticated to handle issues that are peculiar to our environment and generate adequate human capital for our oil and gas industry even enough for export because training is key to local content development.

“We want to discourage portfolio trainers, people who just walk into companies to organize trainings; invite trainers and after that, walk away”. Furthermore, he argued that if majority of oil sector training is done locally, it would address issues of foreign exchange challenges confronting the sector.

“Government agencies, institutions and International Oil Companies (IOCs) should partner with OGTAN to invest in developing trainers’ in-country,” he said. Mayowa noted that OGTAN which is the independent umbrella group of training service providers in the oil and gas sector was established by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) act in 2010.

According to him, OGTAN represent the Education and Training Sectorial Group of the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum (NCCF) under section 58 of the NOGICD Act 2010, with the purpose to build local human capital capacity in the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry.