Come April 14 to 16, the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria shall host its second Annual Conference and Exhibition (OGTAN ACE) at Eko Hotel and Suites. The theme of the conference is: “Human Capital Development as a Driver for National Transformation”.
Human capital development is undoubtedly the pivot for any meaningful programme of economic development of Nigeria and indeed of any country. The keynote address will be delivered by Mr Nicolas Terraz, Managing Director of Total E&P Nigeria Ltd. Other speakers include Engr Simbi Wabote, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB; Dr. Christopher Kolade CON; Mr Emeka Okwuosa, Managing Director of Oilserv; and Mr Taofik Adegbite, Managing Director of Marine Platform.
A few other notable industry stakeholders who would form part of the panels include chief executives from Halliburton, Schlumberger, Nexus Alliance, AOS Orwell, Kainosedge Limited, Niger Dock, Tolmann Allied Services, and Aveon Offshore.
Representatives of Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF), Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), and Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) have also confirmed attendance.
Highlights of the two-day event includes: Panel Sessions, Young Professionals Forum, Exhibitions, Cultural Night, Welcome Cocktail, Awards Ceremony and Short Courses. The Short Courses would cover topics like ‘’Fundamentals of applications of NDT for Engineers and Managers in Oil & Gas sector; Achieving Tendering Local Content and Regulatory Compliance in winning bids; and Petroleum Tax & Regulatory Landscape, among others.
Practitioners and social researchers understand the essence of human capital development in the achievement of significant and sustainable economic growth and development. In the absence of substantial investment in the development of human capital in any country, sustained economic growth and development would only be a mere wish. Human capital development is a key prerequisite for a country’s socio-economic and political transformation. Among the generally agreed causal factors responsible for the impressive performance of the economy of most developed and newly industrializing countries is an impressive commitment to human capital development. Nigeria won’t be an exception.
Petroleum sector contributes the highest revenue to Nigeria’s GDP but suffers a dearth of skilled personnel for sophisticated roles as the traditional educational curriculum hasn’t sufficiently accommodated the demands of the highly-skilled industry.
Part of the objectives of OGTAN has been to identify ways by which Nigeria’s human capital can be improved via training and retraining in order to significantly contribute to the growth of in-country value retention in the oil and gas sector, which leads to enhancing peoples’ livelihoods and overall quality of life. These indicators translate to positive impact on nation building and national development.
At this second annual conference, discussions shall revolve around sub themes like: “Unlocking Nigeria’s Potential through Comprehensive Human Capital Development”; “Management and Integration of Human Capital for Africa’s Development”; “Technology and Knowledge Transfer through International Collaboration”; “the Role of Government and Private Sector”; and “Development of Africa’s Certification and Standardisation Scheme: Possibilities”.
The maiden edition had petroleum industry stakeholders in attendance. The academia, training institutions, international government delegates and relevant regulatory bodies weren’t left out. Dr Oby Ezekwesili delivered the keynote address.
The vision of OGTAN is to establish a Nigerian Oil and Gas Training Business Group responsible for articulating and advancing Human Capacity Development in the Oil & Gas Industry and protecting the interest of member-companies and stakeholders on issues of common interests.
OGTAN is the independent umbrella Group of Training Services Providers in the Oil and Gas Sector established by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board in 2010, representing the Education and Training Sectorial Group of the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum (NCCF) under Section 58 of the NOGICD Act (2010), with the purpose to build local human capital capacity in the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry and act as a business group that interfaces with Operators, International Organizations and the Nigerian government.
