Abuja — Nigeria's Folashade Adekeye has emerged as the Chairperson, Forum of the Directors of Oil & Gas Training & Vocational Education Institutes of the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO).

Adekeye, who is the Director, NNPC Academy, took over from the former chairperson, Mr. Abdelkader Guenone, the Managing Director of the Algerian Petroleum Institute (API), during the second meeting of the Forum, in Abuja, at the weekend.

Adekeye, who heads the NNPC's oil and gas training arm, brings into the role over 30 years of experience, and is expected to work with her colleagues from APPO Member Countries in order to foster more collaboration towards addressing the challenges of competences, skill gaps, infrastructure, and poor funding in the organization's training institutions.

Earlier in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the meeting, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Mele Kyari, represented by Inuwa Danladi, Executive Vice President (Business Services), emphasised the importance of a standardised educational and training approach to meet the changing demands of the oil and gas industry.

Also in his keynote address, APPO's Secretary General, Dr. Omar Ibrahim, charged the member countries to work towards further enhancing collaborative efforts to establish oil & gas centres of excellence across the African continent.

Ibrahim, also from Nigeria, said having a good knowledge of the forum's challenges would enable APPO member countries to make recommendations and provide solutions in areas such as oil & gas project funding, technology adoption, and the formation of the Africa Energy Bank.

He noted that such collaboration by all member countries will guarantee Africa's energy accessibility, affordability and sustainability, which overall, will strengthen her economies and bring prosperity to its citizens.