Unskilled human capital, biggest risk to Africa’s energy security ­­­­— ARDA

Michael Eboh

Dublin, Ireland — African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA) has identified lack of skilled human capital as the biggest risks to guaranteeing energy security in Africa.

In a presentation, titled: “Human Capital: The Missing Link in Africa’s Energy Security and Industrialisation”, Executive Secretary of ARDA, Mr. Anibor Kragha lamented that despite Africa’s large and youthful population, companies across the continent consistently report difficulty finding skilled professionals in specialised technical fields.

According to him, Africa’s biggest risk in ensuring energy security is not funding, technology or natural resources, noting, instead, that it is the absence of a structured pipeline of talent capable of running the continent’s industrial assets efficiently and profitably.

The former chief operating Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in charge of refineries, disclosed that while building and upgrading its infrastructure, Africa must also systematically develop its human capital, empowering them to successfully operate the infrastructure and the industry in the years to come.

According to him, without sustained investment in human capital, Africa risks building infrastructure that it cannot fully operate or expand.

He said: “Across Africa, governments and investors are accelerating plans to build or revamp refineries, gas processing plants, petrochemical complexes, pipelines and storage terminals to industrialise and cut imports of fuels and finished goods.

“At this time, however, the continent lacks the skilled human capital required to operate, manage and sustain these facilities and deliver the anticipated business results over the long-term without relying heavily on expatriates.

“As Africa develops its infrastructure, it must systematically develop the people who will run it successfully over the coming decades. With the right training ecosystems, however, the continent can transform its demographic strength into a strategic advantage.”

Continuing, Kragha said: “While ageing infrastructure and financial constraints have remained key concerns, skill shortages across the operational workforce have been a silent killer.

“Refinery operations demand expertise in process optimisation, equipment reliability, safety management and complex digital control systems. When these capabilities are limited, plant efficiency declines and operational risks increase.

“For investors, this creates uncertainty. Capital-intensive energy projects rely on stable operational capacity over decades. If investors cannot see evidence of a sustainable talent pipeline, the perceived risk of long-term investments rises significantly. In other words, human capital is not merely a workforce issue; it is an investment risk factor.”

The ARDA boss identified a number of factors responsible for skill shortages across the continent’s oil and gas sector, ranging from mismatched academic training, which leaves many engineering graduates without practical experience in refinery operations, digital process controls, or industrial safety systems.

Other factors, he said, included a shortage of specialised operational profiles, brain drain, and a lack of strong coordination between universities, industry, and government.

The outcome, Kragha noted, is a cycle in which companies struggle to recruit qualified staff, while graduates struggle to find employment in specialised technical roles, adding that systemic collaboration rather than isolated training, is critical in breaking this cycle.

To this end, he suggested that oil companies, engineering firms and technology providers must collaborate with universities to design curricula aligned with operational realities, noting that rapid technological change requires ongoing professional development, rather than one-time certification.

The ARDA executive secretary added that investors should incorporate workforce development into project planning, ensuring long-term infrastructure investments include provisions for local talent development and knowledge transfer.

“Corporate leaders must recognise that building internal talent pipelines is as critical as securing financing or technology partnerships. Companies that invest in structured mentorship and training programmes will gain a competitive advantage in operational performance and resilience”, he stated.