The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has validated draft instructional manuals for compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle conversion and electric vehicle (EV) maintenance as part of efforts to strengthen technical skills in Nigeria’s automotive industry.

The manuals were reviewed at a technical workshop in Lagos attended by technical experts, industry practitioners, trainers, assessors, academics, members of the Automotive Sector Skills Council and other stakeholders.

The workshop examined the manuals to ensure that they were technically sound, practical, competency-based and aligned with industry requirements and international best practices.

Representing the Director-General of NADDC, the Director, Industrial Infrastructure Department, Joke Onireti, stressed the need for training materials to reflect the realities of Nigeria’s evolving automotive industry.

She also highlighted the importance of incorporating robust occupational health and safety provisions into the manuals, particularly for technicians working with high-pressure CNG systems, high-voltage EV systems, batteries, charging infrastructure, diagnostics and maintenance.

The President of the Automotive Sector Skills Council, Best Nnodim, said the manuals were developed to translate the approved National Occupational Standards (NOS) into practical learning resources for trainers and trainees at designated training centres.

He explained that the validation exercise would help ensure that the materials adequately addressed the competencies required by technicians working in the emerging CNG and electric mobility sectors.

The validation is being conducted in phases to ensure wider stakeholder participation, beginning with the southern region, while a subsequent session is scheduled for stakeholders from northern Nigeria in Kano.

Observations and recommendations from the various sessions will be harmonised by a technical committee before the manuals are finalised as nationally acceptable training documents.

Following the necessary amendments, the manuals will be forwarded to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) for the required approvals.

The exercise is expected to contribute to the standardisation of automotive technical training, improve certification and strengthen the competency of Nigerian technicians as the country expands CNG and electric mobility adoption.