Dear Editor,
The mindset appears to be quickly settling in that since the country is on the verge of becoming a large petroleum producer, then our new training priorities must mostly focus on areas directly related to oil and gas. We have therefore heard much talk about petroleum workshops, programmes and schools. While these responses are warranted, they have to be tempered against the warnings against going overboard in terms of the quantity, type and level of skills the oil sector will eventually need.
My concern here is however different. There yet seems to be no sustained discussion (much less action) on the identification and preparation of the range of skills that an economy rapidly fueled by oil revenues will demand. Ideally, of course, such a comprehensive needs assessment should be informed by a plan of the kind of economy envisaged in the new era. While this planning is yet to ensue in any persistent manner, we need not await that process before we can identify and prepare some of the human resources that will be required immediately in any case. Experience and commonsense can guide us. Three types of skills readily come to mind.
For one, an injection of revenues from oil will inevitably spur rapid infrastructural development. The country should be training far more civil engineers than presently to meet this projected demand for skills to conceptualize, design, construct, operate and maintain projects in transportation, drainage and irrigation, waste disposal, potable water supply, sea and river protection, and buildings.
Secondly, there will be (or should be) a renewed emphasis on hinterland development. The country therefore has to assess and meet any projected need for hydro-power engineers, natural resources assessors and managers, land use planners, and social service providers.
Thirdly, we have to anticipate, and begin now to prepare for, the higher demands for security and crime prevention. The increased circulation of money in a larger economy will likely require far better physical and electronic security and crime fighting resources, skilled personnel foremost among them.
As it takes several years to prepare and set up these and other human resources, national discussion and action have to now extend well beyond the establishment of oil schools.
Yours faithfully,
Sherwood Lowe
