PTDF Selects 746 South-South Candidates to Compete for International Study Awards

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund has initiated the screening process for its 2026/2027 Overseas Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme, with a total of 746 applicants having been shortlisted for the exercise in the South-South geopolitical zone, as announced by Daniel Abia.

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Between 5,885 and 6,193 candidates, selected from a pool of 38,398 applicants, are being interviewed for the MSc and PhD programs, with the exercise scheduled to take place from April 7 to 17, 2026, across the six geo-political zones of the country.

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The South-South geopolitical zone's screening exercise is being held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, and is part of PTDF's mandate to provide scholarships and bursary for the development of the oil and gas industry, as stated by Peter Egheneji, Team Lead at the PTDF Port Harcourt Centre.

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Egheneji explained that the programme aims to provide support in the form of scholarships for qualified Nigerians to pursue training in the oil and gas industry, with this week's schedule including interviews for 503 candidates in the zone for the MSc programme, and next week's schedule including 243 shortlisted candidates for the PhD.

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The programme is fully funded, and candidates are not required to work while attending school, with Egheneji adding that upon qualification for the scholarship, candidates sign a bond stating that they must return to Nigeria after completing the programme.

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Godwin Chukwu, a professor and consultant leading the panel of interviewers, which includes Garba Malumfashi and Tebekeme Okoko, expressed his impression with the quality of applicants who turned up for the exercise, citing the various criteria used to evaluate them.

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Chukwu noted that the evaluation criteria include the students' undergraduate studies and their potential to apply that knowledge to a master's degree that would benefit oil and gas operations in Nigeria, adding that some applicants from non-technical backgrounds, such as political science and law, have performed exceptionally well.

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The programme has been shown to add value, with Chukwu citing the example of a newly appointed deputy manager at the University of Kaduna, a PTDF scholar, who is bringing value to the university.

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Ifeoluwa Ajetunmobi, an applicant for a PTDF Master's Scholarship to study Engineering Management for Process Excellence at a UK university, described the application process as seamless, with a flawless website that allowed for easy uploading of documents and a timely confirmation email.

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Ajetunmobi expressed her intention to apply the knowledge gained from the programme to address the gaps she has observed in the oil and gas industry, particularly in areas such as poor communication, weak management, and other avoidable factors, if she is given the opportunity to pursue the scholarship.