Petroleum Sector Human Resource Development: Evaluating NCDMB’s Capacity Building Programmes in Northern Nigeria

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board's (NCDMB) capacity building programmes in developing petroleum sector human capital in Nigeria's northern geopolitical zones. NCDMB's mandate to develop local capacity across the oil and gas value chain has historically been concentrated in southern Nigeria, raising concerns about regional equity in petroleum sector workforce development. Using a professional programme evaluation methodology, the research reviews NCDMB annual capacity building reports from 2020 to 2024, training beneficiary lists disaggregated by state, and NCDMB scholarship and internship placement data. Interviews are conducted with six NCDMB programme officers and eight petroleum professional associations. Findings reveal that northern states receive less than 15 percent of NCDMB capacity building investments despite representing approximately half of Nigeria's population. The study recommends geographically targeted NCDMB investment strategies for northern Nigeria and the establishment of regional petroleum skills development centres in Abuja and Kano. Keywords: human resource development, NCDMB, petroleum sector, northern Nigeria, capacity building.