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OGTAN leverages conference to address gaps in human capital development

By Femi Adekoya
20 March 2019   |   2:32 am
To bridge the gap in quality of workforce in the oil and gas sector and economic growth, the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria, in collaboration with Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has concluded arrangements ....

University Liaison Chairman, Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) (left); President, Dr. Mayowa Afe; and General Manager, Caroline Egejuru, at a news conference, in Lagos.

To bridge the gap in quality of workforce in the oil and gas sector and economic growth, the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria, in collaboration with Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has concluded arrangements to host its yearly international conference.

According to the association, there is need to improve capacity of local workforce and also engender in-country training as part of measures to discourage capital flight.

OGTAN also stated that a former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.), would chair the conference and lead the discussants, comprising the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu; the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Simbi Wabote; and a former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade.

Preparatory to the event, the President, OGTAN, Dr Mayowa Afe, said at a press conference that human capital development as a driver for national transformation would be discussed at the conference, which is slated for April in Lagos.He said the association recognised the link between the quality of a nation’s workforce and its economic growth, noting that an onslaught of complex and broad ranging socio-economic challenges including poor governance, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, outdated educational curriculum, poor funding of research centres, social unrest and increasing poverty had affected the human capital development in the country over the years.

He said stakeholders would deliberate on the solutions regarding sustainable employment generation with a direct impact on the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Stressing the need to address the widening debt profile of states and unemployment among the country’s young population, Afe said, “OGTAN is also using this conference to address the rapid advancement of digitalisation, automation, and artificial intelligence, and how it compounds the increasing concern about the future of job security, wealth redistribution, and comparatively rising cost of implementing local content where these advancements are lacking.”

According to him, other discussants are the Commercial Service Counsellor, US Consulate, Brent Omdahl; the Managing Director, Oilserv, Emeka Okwuosa; the Managing Director, Nigerdock Nigeria Plc, Pade Durotoye; the Managing Director, AOS Orwell, Femi Omotayo; Principal, Petroleum Training Institute, Prof Sunny Iyuke, and Group Managing Director, Schlumberger Nigeria, Ifeanyi Nwagbogu, among others.

“Some past and present high-ranking government officials, producing oil majors, multinational service companies’ executives, diplomats, and civil society groups are among guests expected at the conference,” Afe said.Meanwhile, the association noted that it would this year, be introducing short courses focusing on process piping and engineering design; managing tax issues; tendering for local content projects and winning bids.

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