The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), have collaborated to maximise the socio-economic benefits of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline.
The Executive Secretary, NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, at a Round Table on AKK Gas Pipeline in Abuja on Thursday, said there was need for collaboration that would yield sustainable industrial development.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the round table is: “Bridging the Skills Gaps for the AKK Downstream Industries.”
He noted that the round table was aimed at addressing critical aspects of AKK Gas pipeline project by reviewing its progress and identifying skill gaps.
He added that this would help to explore strategies for power generation as well as address security concerns.
“The AKK Gas Pipeline project stands as a testament to our nation’s commitment of harnessing its abundant natural resources for the benefit of its people.
“This ambitious endeavour promises to revolutionise our energy landscape and presents unparalleled opportunities for economic diversification and job creation, particularly in the downstream petrochemical industries.
“We are concerned that we are not seeing the utilisation that comes from gas. It is one thing to deliver the gas and it’s another thing to develop the downstream utilisation.
“Over 85 per cent of the gas is loaned from China, that’s why we need to collaborate so that we can start planning on how to utilise the gas properly,” he said.
The Executive Secretary, PTDF, Ahmed Aminu, said concerted efforts were made to develop a robust and more dynamic energy sector that was more sustainable in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Aminu said the Fund, through such roundtables, had sought partnerships for capacity building and bespoke training at the Centres of Excellence to bridge the gap for necessary skills required to man the industry.
“The necessity of bridging the skills gap in the entire value chain is of utmost priority to PTDF. In line with this mandate, the Fund has engaged in several value-adding initiatives.
“We have in recent past introduced a project-based training programme, which is an intervention specifically for the frontier basins, non-associated gas projects and the AKK gas pipeline project.
“PTDF through project-based capacity building initiatives sees AKK project as an opportunity to build the capacity of Nigerians to capture employment and entrepreneurship opportunities from the on-going gas revolution and energy transition,” he said.
He added that the Fund had reached out to several stakeholders towards the utilisation of PTDF-trained welders on the project.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Gas Resources, Obongemem Ekpo, said the AKK gas would be a completely game changer in terms of economic activities of the country.
Ekpo, represented by the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energy, NNPCL, Mr Olalekan Ogunleye, said all hands must be on deck to deliver AKK pipeline for prosperity to Nigeria.
He added that the NNPCL was currently at the centre of making sure the country delivered on the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
He, therefore, pledged that the AKK gas which was at 62 per cent completion rate would be completed in December 2024.
In the same vein, the Director General, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Ahmed Nagode, called for synergy across the value chains to build skills for development.
Nagode said that Nigeria must also focus on local content through harnessing skills from all sectors noting that importing skills would not help to grow the economy.
He advised that the country take a cue from China which took advantage of her population to grow the skills sector.
“We have the same potential as a country and we must leverage on our population to develop our skills fit for the market,” he said. (NAN)