Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) MANDATE/JUSTIFICATION

As the lead agency of government for the development of human and institutional capacity for the oil and gas industry, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund is critical to the realization of Mr. President's Transformation Agenda. The Transformation Agenda is the organising principle for the sustainable repositioning of all sectors of the economy of Nigeria. PTDF is considered vital because no nation can sustainably develop beyond its human capital base.

HUMAN CAPITAL INITIATIVES

PTDF SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME

PTDF interventions, following the adoption of local content policy in the Petroleum sector as a fundamental aspect of the transformation agenda, have added substantial value to the oil and gas industry. There are now well trained, skilled, competent and capable young Nigerian professionals that can effectively man the various segments and levels of the petroleum industry as a result of the proficiencies they have acquired from PTDF trainings.

At the last count, over 2,500 PTDF Scholars have received academic training and research in oil and gas related disciplines at the M.Sc level and 642 at the Doctoral level through the Overseas Scholarship Scheme, while 897 others benefitted from the Local Scholarship Scheme.

VOCATIONAL & ENTREPRENEURSHIP SCHEMES

With the search for quick wins and low hanging fruits through the new emphasis on vocational and entrepreneurial skills, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund sponsored the training of
1. Eleven (11) underwater welders with international certifications for maintenance of offshore installations and facilities.
2. 15 Drilling Engineers who also attained the International Well Control Forum certification in drilling.
3. 1,649 Engineers under the Engineering Design Training Programme to domicile Front End Engineering Design and Detailed Engineering Design projects in Nigeria.

Under the Welder's Training and Certification Programme, PTDF recorded another milestone achievement in the drive towards producing a critical mass of fabricators and welders required to meet the local manpower target for ongoing and planned projects in the oil and gas industry currently put at 8,000. So far, not less than One Thousand Seven Hundred and fifty (1,750) young Nigerians have been trained to various stages of fabrication skills and competencies under PTDF Welders Training and Certification Programme. 40% of this number are fully integrated in the oil industry while many others have been assimilated by Welders Training Centres as international institute of welding instructors.

POST AMNESTY SPECIAL TRAINING PROGRAMME

PTDF obligations under the Federal Government Post-Amnesty Rehabilitation Programme necessitated the intervention of the Fund in other Human Capacity Development initiatives that are targeted at youth empowerment and entrepreneurial development relevant to the operations of the oil and gas industry. Under PTDF Vocational Skills Training Programme, 120 Nigerian Youths were trained in auto-rotary technology; ICT, Software design, and Computer maintenance at the City and Guilds Certified KAR Academy, Cotonou, Benin Republic and are being assisted with soft loans to set up businesses of their own. The primary goal is to provide the trainees with solid technical and practical foundation and business skills necessary to ensure their success in a wide variety of employment opportunities in the petroleum industry.

PTDF special training and educational scheme under the Industry Collaboration Unit aims at building indigenous capacities in key operational areas of the oil and gas industry. The Fund is currently implementing three programmes under the scheme. These include the helicopter piloting and air surveillance training programme in South Africa involving 20 Nigerian youths of different academic backgrounds.15 of them have already received private pilot and commercial pilot licences as well as Instrument Flight Rating Certification. These internationally certified pilots trained under the sponsorship of PTDF are currently undergoing internship as Cadets with Caverton Helicopters, a leading indigenous provider of aviation services and logistics for oil companies. The additional training at Caverton will enable them to be rated in the specific type of helicopters they are expected to fly for offshore operations in Nigeria such as air surveillance and conveyance of workers to offshore platforms and installation. The cadet pilots will also be able to accumulate the number of flight hours required to become full-fledged professional pilots. Under a partnership agreement with PTDF, Caverton Helicopters is committed to employing all the cadets upon successful completion of the internship programme.
Still under the Special Training and Educational Scheme, seventy (70) Nigerian youths are undergoing a 4 year undergraduate study programme in various engineering courses at Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology China. Another set of 60 are sponsored for undergraduate studies in Norway, while in Malaysia 50 PTDF scholars undergoing studies in degree and postgraduate degree programmes in Engineering, Information Technology and Business Management at the Malaysia Campus of the University of East London(Linton University College Campus, Malaysia) will be graduating this year.

INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING INTERVENTIONS

PTDF is also involved in the development and upgrade of institutions that provide some form of training in oil and gas related fields. The university upgrade project for instance entails the construction of buildings for university departments teaching oil and gas courses as well as the provision of books, ICT facilities, and laboratory and workshop equipment. Under the scheme, 26 departments offering oil and gas related courses in 26 universities across the country have been fully upgraded. The Fund has also developed 146 ICT centres in universities, colleges of education and unity schools across the country.

PTDF is also setting up world class facilities from scratch that will assimilate most of the scholars trained by the Fund overseas. They are expected to serve as lecturers and experts in different professional disciplines of the oil and gas industry in these institutions being developed by PTDF. These include the Federal Polytechnic of oil and gas Ekowe, Bayelsa State, which is 98 percent completed and awaiting commissioning. There is also The Federal Polytechnic, Bonny, Rivers State focusing on gas technology and environmental management. It is expected that on completion it will sustain the local technical manpower requirement of the Liquefied Natural Gas project also in Bonny.
PTDF is also involved in the development of the National Institute for Petroleum Policy and Strategy, Kaduna for the training of management and executive level personnel in the petroleum industry.

PTDF AND PTI

PTDF upgrade of the infrastructure of the Petroleum Training Institute, Warri, Delta State has attained 90% completion level. Under the upgrade, PTDF renovated the dormant training rig at the school and made it to be the only demonstration land rig in Africa where international oil companies now send students for hands-on training. PTDF also provided the latest drilling simulators, known as simulator B5000 and C6000 as a result of which other institutions send their students for oil drilling training programme in addition to providing training for amnesty programs of the federal government.
PTDF also provided an ultra modern laboratory complex, a one stop research facility in diverse areas of onshore, offshore, refining and safety activities. In recognition of the importance of diving in offshore activities of the oil and gas sector, PTDF took a bold step to upgrade the Offshore Technology Centre (OTC) of the institute for the production of professional divers that meet international standard.
To further develop middle level manpower for the industry, PTDF is setting up a National Skills Development and Training Centre in Portharcourt, The project is over 70% completed.

RESEARCH PROGRAMMES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL TECHNOLOGY

The sponsored researches of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund through the endorsed professional chairs in universities have recorded significant outcomes capable of adding value to Nigeria's oil and Gas industry by domesticating the production of material inputs and technology used in the industry. For instance, the research on “immobilized oil degrading micro-organisms in local cellulosic materials for rapid deployment in bioremediation of petroleum contaminated soils” was found to be commercially viable for patenting and has been up scaled to pilot plant level for industrial use. The work on “hydrocarbon source rocks” have given strong indication for hydrocarbon presence in the offshore of the Dahomey basin at Okitipupa in Ondo state, while a successful breakthrough in the local refining of heavy crude using locally produced zeolite catalyst derived from clay was recorded in PTDF sponsored research at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. A prototype refinery using the locally sourced materials is being developed.

PTDF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND ENTREPRENEURIAL SCHEME

PTDF is not only providing training and education to deserving Nigerians under its capacity building programmes, the Fund is also enhancing employability and facilitating the engagement of its trainees in the industry through innovative entrepreneurial and youth empowerment schemes. By integrating internship, apprenticeship and entrepreneurial development as an integral component of its training programmes, PTDF is bridging the industry's employment gap and responding to Mr President's directive to agencies of government involved in training and capacity development, to boost employment opportunities for their trainees. In this regard, PTDF has achieved the following:
243 out of 531 who successfully completed the Manual Metal Arc Welding Programme of the Fund have been engaged in the industry. 14 are working in DICON, 28 in South Korea and 16 in Brazil. Thirty one Nigerians trained under the Train-the –Trainer Scheme of PTDF (WTCP) Welders Training and Certification Programme have become welding instructors in Welding Training centres.

15 Young Nigerian Engineers trained by PTDF under its Drilling Engineers Training Programme, to acquire the highly-coveted International Well Control Forum Certificate in drilling, have all been engaged by the industry.

15 young Nigerians who have been trained by PTDF as Commercial Helicopter Pilots have been integrated into an internship (apprenticeship) program designed to culminate into full employment in the industry.

60 Nigerian Youths awarded undergraduate scholarships to study Subsea, Marine and Maritime Engineering as well as Innovation and Entrepreneurship Engineering in Universities in Norway have been guaranteed employment upon completion of their studies as a result of a unique partnership between PTDF and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, UNITAR.

70 Nigerian Youths currently studying in Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, China have been guaranteed employment upon completion of their Bachelors degree programmes. Another 50 undergraduate scholars of the Fund at the Linton University College, Malaysia are set to graduate this year.

PTDF under the administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has risen above its inglorious past and perception as a slush fund to become one of Nigeria's most proactive, transparent and productive capacity-building government agency. One of that is committed to increased indigenous manpower participation in the oil and gas sector.

All these achievements are positive indicators to the significant impact of Mr President's transformation agenda on the programmes and activities of the Fund. PTDF, as a responsible agency of government, is completely aligned to the agenda in the implementation of its mandate.