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Local Content Leaders to Drive Workforce Development Agenda at AEW 2026
As Africa enters a new energy investment cycle, building a skilled local workforce has become just as important as attracting capital. The African Energy Week (AEW) Conference and Exhibition, taking place on October 12-16 in Cape Town, positions this topic at the center of its program agenda, with leading voices in skills development, workforce training and local content policy speaking.
The speaker lineup includes Nillian Mulemi, CEO, Petrofund, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Loïc du Rusquec, Executive Board Member and Board Director, IFP Training. Together, they bring decades of experience developing national talent pipelines, strengthening institutional capacity and ensuring local professionals are equipped to support increasingly complex energy projects across the continent.
Established in 1993, Petrofund advances human capital development through scholarships, institutional support and strategic partnerships that strengthen science, engineering and technical education. The organization operates under a mandate to build the skilled workforce needed to support Namibia’s emerging upstream petroleum industry. With TotalEnergies pursuing Venus FID in 2026 and the race for first oil production by 2030 on, Petrofund aims to position Namibia’s youth at the forefront of the country’s next development chapter. Mulemi is expected to share insight into this strategy during AEW 2026.
Representing Nigeria, Ogbe joins the conference at a time when the country is striving to reach two million barrels per day in oil production, driven by a renewed wave of billion-dollar investments. The NCDMB positions Nigerian companies and entrepreneurs at the center of this investment drive by promoting the development and utilization of in-country capacities for the industrialization of the country. Recent milestones reflect this vision, including the launch of a Cradle-to-Career academic excellence program, new oil and gas training certification and a human capital development program introduced alongside TotalEnergies and Geoplex.
Meanwhile, as a leader in professional training and skills development for the energy, mobility and environment sectors, IFP Training delivers specialized programs covering exploration, production, refining, energy transition technologies and operational excellence, helping companies and governments strengthen workforce capabilities across traditional and emerging energy sectors. Through its partnerships with operators and national institutions worldwide, IFP Training continues to support the development of highly skilled technical professionals capable of meeting the evolving demands of the global energy industry. Du Rusquec joins AEW 2026 to discuss the impact of these programs on Africa’s energy sector.
"Africa's energy future will not be determined solely by the projects we develop, but by the people we equip to lead them. Building local technical expertise, strengthening national institutions and creating opportunities for African professionals are essential to ensuring the continent captures the full value of its natural resources," says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.