Association Backs Push For Higher Skilled Oil Workforce

The Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) has restated its resolve to continue grooming effective fit-for-purpose skill set for stronger and more resilient energy industry in Nigeria.

President of the of the group, Chris Osarumwense, declared at the Human Capacity Development (HCD) Awards hosted by the group in Lagos that OGTAN is driven by the spirit of excellence and collaboration in driving the nation’s petroleum industry forward.

The association restated this in Lagos when it recognised 11 trainers, policy drivers and corporate citizens with 10 categories of awards which it “celebrates their excellence, commitment and impact in human capacity development within our industry.”

At the event, the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) received the Excellence in Oil and Gas Training Award; Nigeria LNG Limited received the Best Corporate Training Partner Award; TotalEnergies E&P Nigeria Limited was recognized with the Young Professional Development Award; and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) Limited clinched the HCD Advancement Award.

Aradel Holding Plc and First E&P Development Company each received the Indigenous HCD Company of the Year Award; Pana Academy and Oilserv Limited also received the OGTAN Affiliate of the Year Award each; and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) took the Government Partner of the Year Award.

In the individual categories,, Mazi Sam Azoka Onyechi (KSC) received the OGTAN HCD Icon Award 2025; Mrs Funmi Ogbue stood up for recognition with the Women In Energy Leadership Award; and Dr Ernest Nwapa got the award for Lifetime Achievement in Capacity Building.

Mr Osarumwense declared that the awardees “represent the highest standards of performance, leadership, and contribution to workforce development.” He said, the event expresses the collective commitment of the group to building more resilient industry. He noted that, over 400 OGTAN member companies have through the years delivered thousands of courses and certifications to build industry-ready skills.

Caapcity development, according to him, has become critical to Nigeria’s energy future. He said, OGTAN has taken the challenge equipping talents with competencies needed to keep the petroleum industry competitive and innovative.

Osarumwanse stated that, OGTAN remains committed to fostering excellence in training and knowledge sharing across the full petroleum industry activity chain.

“Capacity development is vital to Nigeria’s energy future. Through university linkages, young professionals programmes and workshops, OGTAN drives human capacity growth, equipping talent with competencies needed to keep the sector competitive and innovative,” he stated.

In his remarks, the chairman of board of Trustees, Mazi Sam Azoka Onyechi, stated that, OGTAN remains Nigeria’s greatest potential for human capacity development. The group, according to him, achieved one of the major mandates of the government on domestication and domiciliation of skills in-country.

“In pursuit of this mandate, OGTAN has been appointed an awarding body for oil and gas industry skills by the Nigerian Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and, currently under sponsorship of NCDMB, is deeply involved in developing national occupational standard for closing the gaps of critical oil and gas skills.

“We have operated with full focus on the 5 concepts of standardization, digitalization, certification, accreditation and domiciliation; all aimed at developing OGTAN as an accredited certification body with a certified Quality Management System to guide this noble service and achieved Certification of our Quality Management System to the ISO 9001:2015 Standard.

“And it is our dream to make OGTAN a regionally relevant and acceptable brand in human capacity development in Africa,” he stressed.