…PTDF urges workforce development to secure energy future, curb capital flight
By Victor Ahiuma-Young
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said increased investment in domestic refining, gas processing and critical petroleum infrastructure is essential to strengthening Nigeria’s energy security, creating jobs and unlocking the country’s economic potential.
The Authority also said expanding infrastructure for storage, transportation, distribution and petrochemicals would enable Nigeria to retain more value from its oil and gas resources, support industrialisation and reduce dependence on external sources.
Representing the NMDPRA Chief Executive, Rabiu Umar, at the PENGASSAN Energy and Labour Summit (PEALS) 2026, the Executive Director, Corporate Services and Administration, Sadiq Bashir, said Nigeria’s long-term economic advantage would increasingly depend on its ability to convert crude oil and natural gas resources into value within the domestic economy.
He said investments in domestic refining, gas processing, petrochemicals, storage, transportation and distribution infrastructure would strengthen energy security, create employment and support industrial development.
According to Bashir, the capital-intensive nature of the petroleum industry makes regulatory certainty critical to attracting and sustaining investment.
“Investments in refineries, gas processing facilities, pipelines, depots, storage terminals and other critical infrastructure require significant capital and long-term planning.
“Where regulation is uncertain or unnecessarily complex, investment decisions are delayed and the cost of doing business rises,” he said.
Bashir said the NMDPRA was committed to providing clear regulations, efficient processes, effective monitoring and consistent enforcement, supported by technology and constructive engagement with stakeholders.
He said the Authority’s regulatory philosophy was anchored on three principles: “Firm in Regulation, Fair in Conduct and Fast in Execution.”
He explained that being firm in regulation involved upholding the law, enforcing standards, protecting safety and preserving market integrity.
“Fair in Conduct means applying the rules consistently, listening to stakeholders and ensuring that regulatory decisions are transparent, objective and free from arbitrary changes,” he said.
On the need for faster regulatory processes, Bashir said unnecessary delays created uncertainty, increased the cost of doing business and constrained investment and economic growth.
He also linked increased investment in petroleum infrastructure to employment generation, saying expansion across refining, gas processing, transportation, storage and distribution would create opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled Nigerian workers.
PTDF: Human capital critical to energy future
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Prof. Shuaibu Aliyu, said Nigeria must urgently invest in developing a highly skilled workforce to secure its energy future, reduce unemployment and curb capital flight arising from the importation of foreign expertise.
Aliyu said the changing global energy landscape, driven by renewable energy, gas-led industrialisation and decarbonisation, required deliberate efforts to prepare Nigerian workers for the emerging energy economy.
“Nigeria’s energy challenge is a human capital challenge. The workforce we need will not emerge by accident; it must be deliberately trained, supported, and empowered,” he said in his keynote address at the summit.
He said the workforce that built Nigeria’s conventional oil and gas industry must evolve into a hybrid energy workforce capable of operating across traditional petroleum and emerging energy technologies.
According to him, Nigeria’s energy security would depend not only on its oil and gas reserves but also on the capacity of Nigerians to develop, operate, maintain and regulate the infrastructure required to harness those resources.
The PTDF boss said the Fund was repositioning its human-capital development programmes to meet the changing requirements of the energy industry and the wider West African energy market.
He said PTDF would continue to invest in technical education, vocational training, apprenticeships, digital skills and continuous professional development, with emphasis on renewable energy, automation, data management, energy efficiency and other emerging technologies.
Aliyu added that the Fund was collaborating with universities and technical colleges to modernise curricula and equip graduates with skills in areas including solar technology, hydrogen development, energy economics, carbon capture and digital grid management.
He said PTDF was also strengthening partnerships with international universities, local industries and clean-energy developers to expose Nigerian scholars and trainees to modern energy technologies.
The Executive Secretary said the Fund was committed to equipping Nigerian institutions with modern laboratories and research infrastructure to transform them into regional centres of innovation.
“When we build the workforce, we build the nation,” he said, stressing that optimal energy production, reduced capital flight and lower unemployment could not be achieved without a well-trained workforce.
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