Peter Uzoho
The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) has stressed the need for serious human capital development in the Nigerian oil and gas industry in order to guarantee the sustainability of the sector.
The association therefore stressed the importance of training Nigerian graduates to replace the aging workforce.
President of NAPE, Mr. Johnbosco Uche, made the call in Abuja during a courtesy visit to the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Mrs. Olu Verheijen.
Uche commended the Nigerian government for its recent energy policies, which have attracted investments into the oil and gas industry and boosted oil production.
The NAPE president highlighted its contributions to human capital development in the country and in the oil and gas industry, saying such contributions included donation of workstations to Nigerian universities and training university lecturers and students.
Furthermore, Uche urged the government to provide additional incentives to encourage targeted gas exploration while addressing barriers to development and production, enabling Nigeria to achieve its potential as Africa’s leading gas producer.
He pledged to leverage NAPE’s platform, which boasts a membership strength of over 12,000, to communicate the progress being made in Nigeria’s energy sector.
He also committed to offering insights and expertise to support the discovery of more oil and gas resources.
In her response, Verheijen acknowledged NAPE’s significant contributions to the industry and outlined government initiatives aimed at attracting investments, developing unappraised discoveries, and increasing production.
She highlighted recent Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) worth over $5 billion as evidence of the success of these initiatives.
The special adviser also expressed support for human capital development, noting that the government was collaborating with relevant agencies to establish local training centres.
Verheijen concluded by inviting NAPE to continue its partnership with the government to advance the industry and drive sustainable growth.
