FILE: President Bola Tinubu

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund says it is repositioning its human-capital development programmes to make a stronger contribution to Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1tn economy by 2030, with a renewed focus on domestic training, research, technology and international partnerships.

The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the PTDF, Prof. Shu’aibu Aliyu, disclosed this on Friday in Kaduna at a press conference with the theme, ‘PTDF as a Catalyst for West Africa Talent Evolution’.

Aliyu said the Fund was developing a talent ecosystem that would not only supply skilled manpower to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry but also enable Nigerian professionals to compete for opportunities across Africa.

Saturday PUNCH reports that the Federal Government has made the $1tn economy by 2030 one of its major economic ambitions under the proposed Medium-Term National Development Plan 2026–2030, which is designed to support the implementation of the Nigeria Agenda 2050.

The PTDF boss argued that developing local expertise in petroleum, energy and allied fields would help reduce the country’s dependence on foreign institutions, conserve foreign exchange and strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to participate in major energy projects.

He said, “We wish to emphasise that the achievements of the PTDF are deeply rooted in the continuous support and strategic guidance of President Bola Tinubu and the 2026-2030 National Development Plan target of $1 trillion GDP economy. It is on the basis of that we feel that PTDF can drive a knowledge economy which can make a stronger contribution toward national development and economic growth.”

According to him, the Fund’s strategy is anchored on two major institutions: the Centre for Skills Development and Training in Port Harcourt and the General Shehu Musa Yar’adua University of Geological Science and Engineering Technology in Kaduna.

The Port Harcourt centre, he explained, was designed to provide world-class vocational and technical training for technicians, artisans and craftsmen working across the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the petroleum industry.

He said the centre would offer internationally recognised certifications in disciplines including welding, fabrication, instrumentation, offshore safety and other specialised technical areas.

The Kaduna institution, on the other hand, is PTDF’s degree-awarding institution and has been licensed by the National Universities Commission to operate as a postgraduate university.

Aliyu said the institution had recently been renamed the General Shehu Musa Yar’adua University of Geological Science and Engineering Technology following the announcement by President Bola Tinubu.

He described the development as evidence of the Federal Government’s commitment to maximising the potential of the institution as a national asset.

“The recent presidential announcement to rename the Centre for Petroleum and Energy Studies to the General Shehu Musa Yar’adua University of Geological Science and Engineering Technology demonstrates the political commitment of this administration to fully realise the potential of this national asset and this aligns with the vision of Mr President,” he said.

The PTDF chief executive officer said the Fund conceived the two centres as part of its response to changing dynamics in the global economy and the petroleum industry.

He explained that the strategy was aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s technical capacity while reducing the amount of money spent by Nigerians on overseas education and training.

“A major milestone that now forms the backbone of its institutional capacity-building strategy is the Centre for Skills Development and Training, Port Harcourt, and the General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology, Kaduna,” he said.

Aliyu said the Fund was now seeking to domesticate more of its training programmes through partnerships with foreign universities and institutions.

One of the key initiatives is the split-site programme under which Nigerian scholars can divide their training between the Kaduna university and partner institutions in the United Kingdom.

He explained that the arrangement would enable students to receive international exposure while spending a significant part of their training in Nigeria.

“We feel that we cannot achieve this the way we are going. We feel that there is a need to enter into partnership with other schools, particularly in the UK, so that we can reduce the cost of the sponsorship. So, we entered into what is called a split-site programme.

“This split-site programme is primarily to focus domesticating learning process. Students will now be admitted by this university; then he/she will be sent to a UK university, spend one year, or after one year, he comes back to Kaduna, spend two years, or vice versa.

“Spend two years in Kaduna, then go back to another university in the UK and spend another year. This will afford the student the opportunity to acquire two degrees. He may have the Kaduna degree, and at the same time, acquire the foreign degree. Therefore, this is primarily to cut capital flight, and also domesticate learning,” Aliyu said.