By Peace Udugba
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has announced that it will officially launch the Nigerian Content Trainers’ Registration Certificate (NCTRC) on Monday, July 27, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen quality assurance and standardisation in human capacity development across Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
The Board disclosed that the digital certification platform will be hosted on the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC-JQS) portal, providing a transparent framework for assessing, inspecting, verifying and rating training service providers operating within the sector.
According to the NCDMB, the initiative is in line with the Regulation for Training in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry, issued in February 2021, which empowers the Board to prescribe minimum standards, facilities and technologies for training and personnel development within the industry.
The regulation also mandates the Board to establish a verification process for routine inspections, assessments and ratings of training programmes, facilities, service delivery and performance, while ensuring that all information submitted by operators and training providers on the NOGIC-JQS portal is verified.
Developed by the Board’s Directorate of Capacity Building through its Infrastructural Development Division, the NCTRC will evaluate training providers based on the quality of their facilities, instructors, equipment, accreditations, operational capabilities and previous training experience.
The certification covers 11 specialised Areas of Training Specialisation (ATS), including Health, Safety and Environment; Engineering and Quality Assurance; Petroleum and Geosciences; Drilling, Production Operations and Oil and Gas Processing; Facilities Design and Construction; Project Management; Supply Chain Management; Asset Management and Maintenance; Information and Communication Technology; Entrepreneurship, Soft Skills and Oil and Gas Business; and Maritime, Nautical Studies and Offshore Logistics.
The Board stated that applicants would be assessed using clearly defined criteria, including training facilities, qualified instructors, relevant accreditations, equipment, previous training experience and on-the-job training capability.
Successful organisations will be classified into five categories based on their demonstrated capacity and capability, while certificates issued under the scheme will remain valid for two years.
NCDMB noted that the introduction of the NCTRC would enhance confidence in training service providers by ensuring that only organisations with the required facilities, personnel and technical competence are certified to deliver training in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
The initiative is also expected to improve the quality, credibility and standardisation of industry training programmes while supporting the development of a globally competitive Nigerian workforce.
As part of the certification process, applicants will be required to submit verifiable information relating to their facilities, instructors, accreditations, equipment, previous training experience and operational capacity. The Board said it would conduct documentary reviews and, where necessary, physical or virtual inspections to validate all claims before certificates are issued.
The NCDMB emphasised that applications, processing and approval of the Nigerian Content Trainers’ Registration Certificate are completely free of charge.
It warned prospective applicants against engaging consultants, agents or third parties, stressing that, in line with the Presidential Directive on Local Content Compliance, all applications must be submitted directly by registered companies through their NOGIC-JQS accounts.
The Board also cautioned that the submission of forged or falsified documents constitutes a criminal offence and could attract administrative sanctions, cancellation of certificates and prosecution under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, the Criminal Code Act and other applicable laws.
Training service providers and other stakeholders have been encouraged to study the NCTRC Application Guidance Notes and commence applications through the NOGIC-JQS portal from Monday, July 27, 2026.
According to the Board, the launch of the NCTRC reinforces its commitment to building a highly skilled and globally competitive Nigerian workforce by ensuring that training within the oil and gas industry meets established standards of quality, competence and excellence, in line with the objectives of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
