Nigeria stands today at a critical intersection of skills development, certification, and industrial ambition, an intersection that exposes both the promise and the contradictions in the nation’s quest for technological self-reliance. Recent claims by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology that Nigeria spends nearly $10 billion annually importing certified welders have sharpened the debate. He pointed, in particular, to the Dangote Refinery, where over 11,000 welders were reportedly engaged, none of them Nigerian, because of certification requirements.
Nigerian Welders’ Association (NWA) disputes aspects of these figures and insists that many of its members hold local credentials and have participated in international collaborations. Yet, beyond the contestation of numbers, one reality remains: global certification, skills recognition and vocational standards increasingly determine who gets access to high-value industrial work.
How we train: The origins of the skills deficit
A major part of Nigeria’s vocational dilemma lies in the pathway through which many young people enter artisanship. In low-income communities, children who cannot afford formal schooling, or who are unable to thrive academically, are often directed into apprenticeship as a practical survival strategy. While this provides a lifeline, it also situates the artisan economy largely outside structured education. Many apprentices graduate without exposure to foundational competencies such as technical drawing, digital tools, engineering principles, or modern safety protocols.
At the heart of this challenge is the dominance of the traditional “Oga/boy” apprenticeship system. While it carries deep cultural significance and has offered economic mobility to generations, it remains personality-driven and uneven. Many masters themselves learned through improvisation, and knowledge transfer can vary wildly in quality. With little documentation, inadequate safety assessments and no alignment with global occupational standards, apprentices exit the system skilled but uncertified. Over time, this has created a structural mismatch: the celebrated artisan tradition has shifted from craftsmanship to trading and reselling imported goods, eroding its original technical value.
The formal system: Institutions without ecosystems
Nigeria does have agencies intended to standardise skills development. The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) constitute important pillars in the vocational ecosystem. But implementation remains inconsistent across states and sectors. Training equipment is obsolete, curricula lag behind industry requirements, instructors lack continuous professional development, and linkages between training centres and industries remain weak.
This institutional fragility undermines even the most well-intentioned policy frameworks.
Law, local content and the limits of enforcement
The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (2010) mandates companies to prioritise Nigerian labour and requires deliberate training of citizens for specialised roles. Its Joint Qualification System (JQS) was designed to match certified Nigerians to available jobs. Yet, when certification standards are mismatched or inadequate, companies fall back on expatriate labour to meet project deadlines.
The Labour Act, which regulates work permits and recruitment, has equally not been enforced rigorously enough to secure industrial opportunities for Nigerians. The outcome is predictable: despite local content laws, gaps in certification and regulatory coordination diminish their impact.
The Dangote Refinery example illustrates this vividly. Precision welding for complex oil installations demands internationally verifiable competencies. Without a critical mass of Nigerian welders holding ISO-aligned qualifications, contractors defaulted to foreign technicians. The NWA insists that local welders are competent, yet the reality is that international projects require internationally recognised certifications, not only experience or local credentials. The deficit here is structural, not personal.
Emerging interventions: A policy beginning to find its feet
The federal government has recognised the urgency. The National Policy on Welding, introduced in 2023, proposed six Centres of Welding Excellence, one in each geopolitical zone, to produce welders who meet international standards. As of 2025, these hubs are still at varying stages of development. Some training programmes have commenced through collaborations with the Nigerian Institute of Welding (NIW), but full operationalisation remains pending. It is progress, albeit slow and uneven.
The way Forward: Building an industrial-ready workforce
If Nigeria is to close this certification gap, a multi-pronged strategy is essential.
First, the NSQF must be fully strengthened and enforced. Certification should be non-negotiable for all public and private sector projects.
Second, training centres must be modernised with updated equipment, industry-relevant curricula and competency-based assessments.
Third, every major industrial project—oil, construction, energy, manufacturing—should embed structured trainee placements under certified experts, building real-world experience for local artisans.
Fourth, local content enforcement must move from box-ticking exercises to transparent, real-time monitoring backed by verifiable data.
Fifth, Nigeria should deliberately sponsor exceptional artisans to acquire global credentials—just as professionals do in medicine (USMLE/PLAB), engineering (PEO/PE) or ICT (Cisco/CompTIA). Trades such as welding (ISO 9606, AWS, API 1104), plumbing (CIPHE), electrical installation (IEC/NEC) and HVAC should have clear pathways to internationally recognised certification. Concerns that these artisans may relocate after certification can be addressed through patriotic orientation and contractual obligations requiring return service on national projects.
Sixth, where specialised foreign labour is unavoidable, companies should be mandated to retain a minimum quota of Nigerian technicians and concurrently train local replacements within a defined period.
Seventh, regulatory agencies must uphold the ideals enshrined in Chapter 2 of the Constitution—equality, fairness and worker protection. Penalties for non-compliance with training, certification and local content requirements should be strengthened to serve as genuine deterrents.
Conclusion: From importing skills to exporting excellence
Nigeria’s artisans are not short of ingenuity or resilience. What is lacking is the alignment between traditional apprenticeship, formal technical education and the demands of modern industry. If the nation closes this certification gap, through strengthened institutions, rigorous standards and deliberate investment—it can shift from importing skilled labour to exporting it, and ensure that the infrastructure that defines its future is not only built in Nigeria, but built by Nigerian hands.
Dr Adegbite is an expert in law, inclusion and community development.
