The Principal and Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State, Dr. Samuel Onoji, has advised African countries to exercise caution in phasing out fossil fuels as part of their energy transition agenda.
Onoji gave the advice on Monday in Abuja during a press briefing ahead of the institute’s 4th Biennial International Conference on Hydrocarbon Science and Technology (ICHST 2025), scheduled to hold on October 22 and 23 at the PTDF Towers, Abuja.
With the theme “Transforming Africa’s Hydrocarbon Sector: Balancing Growth, Environment and Governance,” the conference aims to address the realities of energy transition, sustainable development, and local content capacity building across Africa’s oil and gas industry.
Onoji noted that while the world was pushing toward cleaner energy, Africa must adopt a pragmatic and inclusive approach rather than abandon fossil fuels abruptly.
“The notion that fossil fuels will be phased out by 2050 or 2060 is unrealistic. Fossil fuels have come to stay, but we must balance growth with environmental protection and good governance,” he said.
The PTI boss added that Africa, with an estimated 125 billion barrels of crude oil and over 600 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, must prioritise research and local innovation to exploit and utilise its hydrocarbon resources responsibly.
“Africa should not hasten to abandon fossil fuel but deepen research and development of local technologies that enable environmentally friendly utilisation of our oil and gas endowments. The reality is that global demand for fossil fuels will linger for the next 50 years,” Onoji stated.
He said PTI was investing in renewable energy research as part of its contribution to Nigeria’s energy transition plan while maintaining focus on technological advancement in the oil and gas value chain.
Onoji disclosed that papers to be presented at the conference would cover topics such as exploration, production, decommissioning, artificial intelligence, robotics, environmental management, and carbon capture technologies.
He explained that PTI, established by Act No. 37 of 1972, remains committed to training skilled technical manpower for the oil and gas sector through quality instruction, research, and consultancy services.
“We have been in the oil and gas business for 53 years and are developing modular refineries and drilling technologies to enhance local capacity in oil production and processing,” he said.
He also revealed that the institute was working on innovations to reduce carbon emissions through natural gas utilisation and carbon capture and storage mechanisms.
Onoji commended the Federal Government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), and other industry stakeholders for their support of the forthcoming conference.
He also lauded the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Dr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, for their continued commitment to advancing Nigeria’s energy goals.
