By Onu Okorie

Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund PTDF Professor Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu has disclosed that the PTDF’s Centre for Skills Development and Training CSDT, Port Harcourt is approximately 98 per cent complete.
He stated this in Abuja on Thursday during the inauguration of a high-level Committee on Operational Policy Review, Curriculum Development and Industry Integration for the Centre.
The Centre comprises an administrative building, auditorium, library, hostels, staff quarters, a canteen, power and water infrastructure, and other essential facilities. Pending its full commencement, the facility has been used for activities under PTDF’s Overseas Scholarship Scheme and In-Country Scholarship Scheme, as well as training programmes organised by institutions such as the Bureau of Public Procurement.
The committee is tasked with accelerating the full operationalisation of the Centre and strengthening Nigeria’s technical workforce for the oil and gas and wider energy sectors. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Abuja, Professor Aliyu said the committee would review the Centre’s systems and operations, identify existing gaps and develop practical recommendations for optimal utilisation of the facility.
He explained that the CSDT was established in response to findings from a PTDF skills audit, which identified significant shortages of qualified Nigerian technical manpower, particularly in technical and middle-level occupations across the oil and gas industry.
The Centre is designed to provide competency-based vocational training and internationally recognised certifications for technicians, artisans and craftsmen in disciplines including 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 for the Centre;
• Designing competency-based curricula aligned with industry requirements;
• Recommending appropriate training, assessment and certification systems;
• Establishing pathways for internships, apprenticeships, employment and entrepreneurship;
• Developing sustainable partnerships with government agencies, regulators, educational institutions, professional bodies, operators and service companies; and
• Preparing an implementation framework with timelines, responsibilities, monitoring indicators and reporting mechanisms.
Responding on behalf of the committee, its Chairman, Professor Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, thanked PTDF for the confidence placed in the members and pledged their commitment to delivering a comprehensive review and operationalisation framework for the Centre.
Professor Kachikwu noted that skills development remains essential to economic growth, local participation in the energy value chain and Africa’s effective involvement in the global energy transition.