In this interview on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Oil Week (AOW) in Accra, Ghana with Mathew Ibiyemi, Engr. Dr. Yetunde Aladeitan, FNSE, National Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Petroleum Engineers (NIPetE) speaks on local content, talent pipeline and quality in the Oil and gas industry. Excerpts.
One of the key takeaways from the ongoing Africa Oil Week is the emphasis on developing local capacity. What are your thoughts on that?
Absolutely, I completely align with it, I am a strong advocate for local content development.
We need to put Nigeria and Africa first. Look at what is happening in the United States. President Trump’s message is “America First.” Sometimes, you have to prioritize your own needs. Right now, significant deglobalization is occurring for both political and economic reasons. Even though the U.S. values collaboration, it is also prioritizing domestic interests above all else. While international partnership has its place, consider the African Energy Bank as an example. How did it come about? It was established in response to the global energy transition agenda pushing for an immediate shift to renewables.
Africa has not been a primary producer of the technologies or financing required for that transition; the dominant players remain in the West and the East, including the U.S. and China. When Western institutions began announcing that they would no longer finance oil and gas projects, our position became clear: we need an energy mix. We cannot afford a 100 percent immediate transition. That is why gas serves as an essential transition fuel before we rely more heavily on renewables.
Because of this stance, Africa was compelled to unite and establish its own project financing, rather than going cap in hand to the West only to be turned away.
Trump’s rhetoric altered the landscape as well. While global talks focused heavily on energy transition, his “drill, baby, drill” stance signaled little concern for that agenda. While transitioning is a positive goal, we require capital and must transition at a pace that suits our economic realities.
I advocate for an energy mix where we develop fossil fuels responsibly, make extraction processes more sustainable, and integrate cleaner energy rather than abruptly eliminating hydrocarbons.
Attending Africa Oil Week has been encouraging because new regional players are emerging. Representatives from Somalia, Mauritius, Kenya, and other non-traditional producing nations are stepping up. Africa is becoming a key unified player, driven by cross-border collaboration. We must sustain this dialogue to build our collective strength as a continent.
Looking specifically at Nigeria, the federal government recently launched the “Hire for Nigeria” campaign. What role is your institution playing in developing in-country capacity?
That is an important initiative. I prefer the phrase “a confident Nigeria,” because bridging skill gaps directly reduces job insecurity. Our core challenge is a shortage of industry-ready graduates and professionals.
To address this, our institution partnered with CypherCrescent Limited, an indigenous energy IT firm in Port Harcourt, to champion home-grown reservoir simulation software. Historically, the Nigerian industry has relied on foreign tools like Eclipse, which were developed abroad.
Developing indigenous technical capacity is far more sustainable. We have presented this initiative to several operating companies, and their reception has been very positive.
Equally, our priority is preparing young graduates for immediate workplace integration. The founder of Moniepoint once noted that despite high demand, finding employable candidates proved difficult because applicants lacked job-ready skills. We have a workforce eager for development, but lacking practical access.
For instance, when we advertised our reservoir simulation training class for an initial cohort of 40 participants, we received over 300 applications. Constrained by resources, we instituted a screening test to select the top 40, with plans to train subsequent batches.
Our primary hurdle remains securing corporate sponsorship. Sustaining these programs independently requires significant capital. True empowerment goes beyond theoretical teaching; candidates need access to professional software and tools. We are actively seeking broader industry partnerships to scale this capacity-building effort.
Local content development is vital because it builds national self-reliance. While global collaboration remains valuable, our domestic operations should never halt simply because external support is unavailable.
Several local companies emerged as winners during the recent licensing round. What is your message to them as they begin developing these new assets?
Commendation must go to this President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, particularly in light of the ambitious target to reach 3 million barrels per day. I attended the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) bid licensing round at Transcorp as an institutional observer. The process was transparent, consistent with the Commission Chief Executive’s assurances. Where bids tied, applicants were invited to revise their signature bonuses, and the highest offers secured the blocks. Notably, the successful awardees were indigenous operators.
It is encouraging to see these assets awarded locally rather than exclusively to foreign multinationals. Historically, local participation faced steep barriers; today, domestic firms have a viable path to operate assets.
The bidding demonstrated that emerging, lesser-known companies could compete effectively against legacy operators and secure blocks on merit. Seeing smaller domestic firms win licenses was a notable milestone.
The government deserves credit for this direction and should maintain it. Moving forward, targeted support mechanisms will be essential. Asset acquisition is only the first step; funding capital-intensive field development is the real hurdle for indigenous winners.
This funding gap underlines why consortia often form to pool development capital, and it reinforces the importance of the African Energy Bank, which is slated to be headquartered in Nigeria to finance these critical projects.
Looking at the energy transition, what is the outlook for renewables among the incoming generation of petroleum engineers, particularly as professional bodies rebrand to reflect cleaner energy?
Evolution is non-negotiable. Two years ago at the Nigeria Oil & Gas (NOG) conference, I delivered a paper on preparing petroleum engineers for the energy transition. Focusing strictly on classical petroleum engineering is no longer sufficient. Because the future relies on an integrated energy mix, petroleum engineers must understand renewable technologies, hybrid energy systems, emissions-reduction processes, and overall sustainability practices.
Technological advancements such as Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) present major opportunities, enabling produced carbon to be sequestered safely in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs.
Petroleum engineering as a discipline is not disappearing, it is transforming. The industry is moving away from routine gas flaring toward comprehensive gas infrastructure, expanded production, and dedicated gas-to-power initiatives. Gas is a cleaner hydrocarbon, and its long-term role ensures continued demand for engineering expertise.
However, engineers must adapt. The rise of artificial intelligence offers a parallel: AI does not render engineers obsolete; rather, engineers who leverage AI tools will work more efficiently, outpace those who do not, and remain competitive in the job market.
To stay relevant, professionals must align their technical skill sets with emerging global energy and digital trends. The industry is moving forward, and our workforce must evolve alongside it.