The SPE Benin City, Nigeria, Section held its first Young Professionals (YPs) Workshop May 9 at the Vichi Gates Hotel and Suites in Benin City. More than 120 people, representing a wide spectrum of YPs and practitioners from operating and service companies, government, and academia, took part in the 1-day workshop.
The program was designed to provide avenues for both YPs and industry experts to exchange views and share ideas on important industry issues in Nigeria. Panel sessions focused on two subthemes:
- YP development and talent retention during global economic recession and unstable energy markets
- The need for Nigerian university reform in engineering and geoscience education, along with the impact of joint industry project collaboration on succession planning.
Among the workshop’s distinguished guests were Emmanuel O. Egbogah, SPE Africa Region director and special adviser on Petroleum Matters to the President of Nigeria, and O.A. Olaosebikan, SPE Benin Ciety Section director and managing director of Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).
Olaosebikan delivered the goodwill message, which focused on YP development and covered strategies for development, YP progress, and mentoring approaches.
Egbogah gave the keynote address, which emphasized advancement in professional pursuits, encouraged YPs to be focused in their chosen careers, stressed the need for YPs to prepare themselves for the imminent “crew change,” and laid out Nigeria’s vision for 2020.
The workshop included panel sessions; a presentation by a YP, Chinelo Ezeudo; a talk on bridging the knowledge-enhancement gap through university-industry partnership, a breakout session on technical and commercial strategies for marginal and mature field development, and networking time.
The workshop was sponsored by NPDC and Drillog Petro-Dynamics.
YP participants in the Benin City workshop.