From Kenechukwu Obiajuru, Yenagoa
One hundred young graduates of diverse academic disciplines on Thursday began a Graduate Internship Programme jointly sponsored by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Renaissance Africa Energy Company (RAEC) Limited, and the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) as part of a collaborative initiative to provide youths with critical skills, exposure and practical knowledge of the work environment in the oil and gas industry.Under the initiative tagged 2025/2027
NCDMB/PETAN/Renaissance Graduate Internship Programme, the graduates drawn from engineering, geology, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and the natural sciences, among others, are to be deployed to PETAN member companies in the oil and gas sector for structured, targeted and industry-relevant training.
Speaking at the kick-off of the Programme at the Renaissance Residential Area Club Hall in Port Harcourt, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, said the initiative represented “a strategic contribution to the national effort toward deepening human capacity development and promoting sustainable local participation within Nigeria’s energy value chain.”
He emphasised that while infrastructure and asset ownership are essential, “human capacity development stands as the cornerstone” of the NCDMB’s mandate, and that the Board would continue to support initiatives that promote knowledge transfer, skill enhancement, and capacity retention within the country.
According to the NCDMB boss, who was represented by the General Manager, Human Capacity Development (HCD), Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile, Esq., the Board would remain resolute in its vision of “a globally competitive and technologically advanced Nigerian energy industry anchored on robust local participation.”
He commended Renaissance Africa Energy (formerly Shell Petroleum Development Company) and PETAN for sustaining the programme, which was begun by SPDC and is now in its second edition, and for their leadership and alignment with the national content development agenda.
Engr. Ogbe urged the interns to approach the opportunity provided with diligence, discipline, and a commitment to excellence, pointing out that they “represent the next generation of professionals who will sustain Nigeria’s energy future” and that the skills and values they would build in the course of the Programme would become integral to the country’s strategic human capital asset.
In a joint presentation on the objectives and anticipated outcomes of the programme, two representatives of PETAN, Dr. Okey Ukaegbu and Mr. Chinedu Maduaku, said the interns who would serve in member companies of the Association within the oil and gas sector are expected to advance innovation and operational excellence.
In his closing remarks, the General Manager, Nigerian Content Development (NCD), of Renaissance Africa Energy, Mr. Kene Akubue, said the partnership of the companies under the Graduate Internship Programme was a sign of progressive trends in the oil and gas industry, and that his company would remain focused on initiatives designed to deepen human capacity development and indigenous participation in the sector.
