By Atoyebi Nike
The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has commenced the screening of 5,723 candidates shortlisted for its 2025/2026 Overseas Scholarship Scheme (OSS), aimed at equipping Nigerians with world-class expertise for the country’s evolving oil and gas industry.
Out of 29,633 applications received nationwide, the shortlisted candidates are undergoing interviews across designated centres. The OSS offers opportunities for MSc and PhD studies in top institutions in the UK, Germany, France, and Malaysia, with select PhD scholars also benefitting from a split-site model linked to PTDF’s College of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Kaduna.
Speaking in Abuja during the launch of the selection process, PTDF Executive Secretary, Ahmed Aminu represented by Deputy General Manager, Education and Training, Bello Mustapha highlighted the Fund’s ongoing efforts in building industry-specific competencies.
“Since 2000, PTDF has remained committed to developing Nigeria’s oil and gas workforce through global training partnerships and rigorous academic programmes,” Aminu said. He noted that the selection process is designed to reflect transparency and national equity through the Federal Character principle.
The head of the OSS unit, Bolanle Kehinde-Agboola, described the process as a blend of electronic scoring, document verification, and oral interviews to ensure merit-based awards. “PTDF remains a benchmark for integrity in public scholarship administration,” she added.
Applicants like Usman Awolerimi and Oluwatobi Emmanuel praised the professionalism of the process and expressed hope for successful selection.
As Nigeria pushes forward with energy transition goals and gas infrastructure development, the PTDF’s scholarship initiative is expected to be pivotal in training the next generation of professionals to sustain growth and innovation in the sector.
