How Simbi Wabote Trained 12,000+ Nigerians to Build Local Oil Industry Expertise | Feature Article
- Lindsey Schlandt
- Oct 1
- 1 min read
PULSE.NG — When Simbi Wabote became Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in 2016, he confronted Nigeria’s deep reliance on expatriates for critical oil and gas expertise. His solution was a comprehensive human capacity development program that delivered over 15 million training manhours, trained more than 12,000 Nigerians, and secured employment for over 5,000 participants. Central to this effort was his 60-20-20 model, which focused primarily on job-ready technical skills, supported by soft skills and productivity training for both new entrants and existing workers.
The program spanned technical academies, marine training, field-ready initiatives, and community-based projects across multiple states, while also building long-term educational infrastructure such as labs, workshops, and ICT centers. By combining industry partnerships with broad geographic reach, Wabote not only created a skilled local workforce but also reduced Nigeria’s dependency on expatriate labor. His human capital legacy stands as one of the most ambitious workforce transformation efforts in Africa’s energy sector, proving that investment in people is as critical to industrial growth as investment in infrastructure.
