The Federal Government, through the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, has inaugurated a committee to develop the operational framework and industry-focused curriculum for the Centre for Skills Development and Training in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The committee, inaugurated by the Executive Secretary of PTDF, Shuaibu Aliyu, is expected to accelerate the full commencement of the centre and address shortages of qualified Nigerian technical manpower in the oil and gas and wider energy sectors.

In a statement issued by the fund after the inauguration ceremony on Thursday in Abuja, Aliyu said the committee would review the centre’s systems, identify operational gaps and develop recommendations for the effective utilisation of the facility.

He said the centre was established following a PTDF skills audit which identified shortages of qualified Nigerian technical workers, particularly in technical and middle-level occupations in the oil and gas industry.

The Executive Secretary said, “The committee is expected to review the Centre’s systems and operations, identify existing gaps and develop practical recommendations for optimal utilisation of the facility.”

He added that the centre was approximately 98 per cent complete and had an administrative building, auditorium, library, hostels, staff quarters, canteen, power and water infrastructure, among other facilities.

The facility, he noted, had already been used for activities under the PTDF Overseas Scholarship Scheme and In-Country Scholarship Scheme, as well as training programmes organised by the Bureau of Public Procurement.

According to the PTDF, the centre is designed to provide competency-based vocational training and internationally recognised certifications for technicians, artisans and craftsmen in welding and fabrication, electrical works, industrial safety, automobile maintenance and heavy-duty equipment maintenance.

The committee’s terms of reference include developing an operational policy and management framework, designing competency-based curricula aligned with industry requirements, and recommending training, assessment and certification systems.

It is also expected to establish pathways for internships, apprenticeships, employment and entrepreneurship, while developing partnerships with government agencies, regulators, educational institutions, professional bodies, operators and service companies.

The panel will further prepare an implementation framework containing timelines, responsibilities, monitoring indicators and reporting mechanisms.

Responding on behalf of the committee, its Chairman, Ibe Kachikwu, thanked the PTDF management for the confidence reposed in the members.

Kachikwu said skills development remained essential to economic growth, local participation in the energy value chain and Africa’s effective involvement in the global energy transition.

He pledged the committee’s commitment to delivering a comprehensive review and operationalisation framework for the centre.

Members of the committee include the Chairman of the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria, Christopher Osarunwense; a representative of the National Board for Technical Education, Folorunsho Akande; the Chief Executive Officer of Green Energy International, Anthony Adegbulugbe; and the President of the Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo.

Others are Mohammed Dauda of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Ayodele Ajayi of the Federal University of Technology, Akure; representatives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Zainab Dutse and Prof Gobir; and Mrs V.U. Akpagher of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.

Representatives of Dangote Refinery, the Independent Petroleum Producers Group and other stakeholder organisations are also members of the committee.

The PTDF expressed confidence that the panel’s combined expertise would provide the strategic direction needed to strengthen the centre’s programmes, deepen industry integration and advance the Fund’s human and institutional capacity development mandate.

The Port Harcourt centre is part of PTDF’s institutional capacity development projects aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s petroleum industry workforce. Its planned focus on technical and vocational training complements the Fund’s broader investment in specialised oil and gas education.

The council’s move comes against the background of its established College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna, which offers a different but related institutional model. The Kaduna college is designed for postgraduate education, research and advanced professional development.

In August 2025, the National Universities Commission confirmed that CPESK had received approval to operate as a postgraduate institution, with 19 programmes across three faculties. PTDF also announced partnerships with the University of Strathclyde, Robert Gordon University and the University of Portsmouth for split-site doctoral programmes.

PTDF has described CPESK as a centre of excellence for developing specialised skills in the energy sector. Its Kaduna model combines domestic postgraduate education with international academic collaboration.

The Port Harcourt committee, however, is focused on operationalising a vocational training centre for technicians, artisans and craftsmen. Its planned curriculum and industry partnerships will determine how effectively the facility translates its infrastructure into practical skills, recognised qualifications and employment opportunities.