Houston: The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has highlighted the imperative to align African engineering education with global standards while ensuring that these standards are adapted to local realities. The society emphasized the need for enhanced investment in infrastructure, partnerships, and digital tools to bridge the existing gap between academia and industry.

According to News Agency of Nigeria, during her panel remarks at the African Content Collaboration Session of the 2025 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, Mrs. Margaret Oguntala, President of the NSE, outlined key strategies for bringing African engineering education in line with international benchmarks. The session, themed ‘Local Content Development and Partnership for Africa’s Energy Sustainability,’ focused on advancing engineering capacity and energy innovation across the continent.

Oguntala stressed the importance of curriculum and faculty development, stronger industry engagement, accreditation processes, and the fostering of innovation. She highlighted the necessity of developing syllabi that reflect global best practices while building local talent pipelines. She noted that Nigeria has commenced the implementation of an Outcome-Based Education (OBE) system that prioritizes technical competencies over theoretical knowledge, marking significant progress for engineering education in Africa.

Oguntala also pointed out Nigeria’s strides toward global recognition, mentioning that the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) is a provisional signatory to the Washington Accord, an international agreement promoting outcome-based engineering education. She emphasized the vital role of collaboration between government, academia, and industry, urging the government to intentionally fund institutions and provide modern training facilities and equipment to ensure hands-on learning for engineering students.

In the spirit of regional collaboration, Oguntala revealed that Nigeria is mentoring engineering boards in Kenya and Ghana to adopt similar standards, aiming to strengthen the continent’s engineering talent base. However, she noted that inadequate funding remains a major challenge. She acknowledged the supportive role of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in initiatives like the development of an innovation hub in partnership with the University of Lagos, calling for more initiatives to expose students to emerging technologies.

Also addressing the event, Mr. Walter Akpani, Managing Director of Providus Bank, underscored the importance of supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as key drivers of economic growth, particularly in the oil and gas value chain. He advocated for more flexible funding options, noting that high naira-based financing costs are barriers to SME sustainability. Akpani suggested that dollar-denominated financing might offer more affordability despite exchange rate concerns.

In a related presentation, Mr. Emmanuel Emefienim, Managing Director of Premium Trust Bank, represented by Executive Director Mrs. Bukola Awosanya, discussed financial de-risking strategies for the oil and gas sector. Awosanya highlighted the need for structured financing models to manage or transfer risk effectively within the sector’s complex value chain. She pointed to the African Energy Bank initiative as a promising model for pooled funding, stressing the need for financial institutions to collaborate with energy firms to ensure timely access to funds and risk mitigation, viewing long-term loans as strategic balance sheet items.