By Sandra Chukwunyere
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) will on Monday, July 27, 2026, open applications for the Nigerian Content Trainers’ Registration Certificate (NCTRC), a new digital certification platform aimed at improving the quality and standard of training across Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
The initiative, according to a statement signed by the General Manager, Corporate Communications Division, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, represents a major step in the Board’s drive to strengthen quality assurance and standardisation in human capacity development within the sector.
The NCTRC will be hosted on the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC-JQS) portal and will serve as a digital platform for assessing, inspecting, verifying and rating training service providers operating in the industry.
The Board explained that the certification programme was developed by its Directorate of Capacity Building through the Infrastructural Development Division in line with the Regulation for Training in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry, issued in February 2021. The regulation empowers NCDMB to prescribe minimum standards for training facilities, equipment, technology and personnel, while also conducting routine assessments of training providers.
Under the scheme, applicants will be evaluated based on the quality of their training facilities, qualifications of instructors, available equipment, industry accreditations, previous training experience and capacity to provide practical on-the-job training.
Successful organisations will be classified into five categories according to their capacity and capability, while certificates issued under the programme will remain valid for two years.
The certification covers 11 Areas of Training Specialisation, 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; as well as Maritime, Nautical Studies and Offshore Logistics.
According to the statement, the certification process will include documentary reviews and, where necessary, physical or virtual inspections to verify information submitted by applicants before approval is granted.
NCDMB stressed that applications, processing and approval of the Nigerian Content Trainers’ Registration Certificate are completely free of charge, warning companies against using consultants, agents or other third parties to process applications.
The Board noted that, in line with the Presidential Directive on Local Content Compliance, only registered companies are permitted to submit applications directly through their NOGIC-JQS accounts.
It also warned that the submission of forged or falsified documents is a criminal offence that could lead to 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.
The Board encouraged training providers and other industry stakeholders to study the NCTRC Application Guidance Notes and commence applications through the NOGIC-JQS portal from Monday.
According to Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, the introduction of the NCTRC underscores NCDMB’s commitment to building a globally competitive Nigerian workforce by ensuring that training delivered within the country’s oil and gas industry meets internationally accepted standards of quality, competence and excellence.
