The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has said Nigeria risks losing control of its energy future if urgent steps are not taken to close the widening energy workforce and technical skills gap in the country
Chief Human Resources Officer, NNPC Limited, Kazachiyang Nuhu, stated this on Thursday at the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria HCD Conference and Expo in Warri, Delta State.
According to him, the convergence of the Petroleum Industry Act, the Decade of Gas, rising participation by local operators and the global energy transition had created a demand for technical talent that the industry was struggling to develop fast enough.
He noted that the changing energy landscape, driven by policy, market shifts, technology and changing expectations of younger workers, had created a technical talent demand that Nigeria could not afford to ignore.
Nuhu firther pointed out that artificial intelligence, digitalisation and automation were compressing skill cycles, while capital was increasingly moving towards liquefied natural gas, cleaner molecules and low-carbon opportunities.
He, therefore, warned that unless the workforce is urgently reskilled and repositioned, Nigeria could lose its ability to effectively participate in the emerging energy economy.
