THE principal/chief executive officer of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State, Dr Henry Adimula, has said that the institute is operating a curriculum that is globally competitive and producing graduates that are sought-after across the globe.
Adimula also noted that through research and innovation, the institute is making substantial strides towards sustainable energy solutions and cleaner transportation methods in Nigeria.
He stated this while speaking with Nigerian Tribune at the third biennial international conference on Hydrocarbon Science and Technology, with the theme, ‘The Future of the Oil and Gas Industry: Opportunities, Challenges, and Development.’
He explained that the regulatory agency, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) provided a minimum standard curriculum that had been enriched by the institute with additional courses in order to impart right skills that meet international expectations.
He noted that over the 50 years, PTI had been involved in training and development of indigenous technologists for the oil and gas industry.
He noted that the graduates of the institute are sought after across the world, based on the expertise that the institute had inputted in them.
Adimula added that the conference was an opportunity to focus on the vital issue of talent and workforce development, noting that “statistical data underscores the industry›s growing emphasis on sustainability and underscoring the necessity to attract, retain, and upskill our workforce.”
According to him, this was an indispensable step towards a more sustainable future.
He also stressed that there was a need to embrace democratisation of energy resources and technology, ensuring that clean and sustainable energy sources are accessible to all, regardless of their location or economic status.
“This conference is a testament to our unwavering commitment to this vision – a crucible where innovative ideas take shape and practical solutions are unearthed,” he stated.
The secretary general of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), Dr Omar Farouk Ibrahim, in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the event, however, disclosed a major study conducted by APPO a couple of years ago on the future of the oil and gas industry in the light of the energy transition, identified three imminent challenges that it poses to the African oil and gas industry.
These, the study listed as funding, technology/expertise and markets.
According to him, the study noted that “in the nearly 100 years that Africa has been producing oil and gas, our countries have been heavily dependent on foreign funding, foreign technology and to some extent expertise and foreign markets.”
“The study further noted that while the world is committed to a speedy energy transition, Africa owes its people a duty to utilise its abundant oil and gas resources to provide them energy, which is the most potent catalyst for socio-economic development. In other words Africa must create a future for the oil and gas industry,” he stated.
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