The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and Italian energy company Eni have awarded postgraduate scholarships to 30 Nigerian graduates to pursue further studies in Nigeria and abroad.
The beneficiaries emerged from more than 3,000 applicants following assessments of their academic records and performances in a recently conducted computer-based test (CBT).
The awards are under the 2026/2027 Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme of Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAE), an Eni subsidiary, on behalf of the NNPC-NAE Production Sharing Contract (PSC) partners.
In a statement, NAE’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Maurizio Pinna, said the initiative was designed to develop local talent and equip young Nigerians with skills relevant to the oil and gas industry. Pinna congratulated the beneficiaries, noting that the scholarships would enable them to pursue their academic ambitions and achieve their career goals.
According to NAE, the programme reflects its commitment to education, innovation and capacity building in Nigeria.
The company urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the opportunity by acquiring valuable knowledge and skills that would contribute to national development, particularly in the energy sector.
Ten of the awardees will undertake postgraduate studies in universities abroad, including Imperial College London, Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Newcastle University, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Hull in the United Kingdom.
The remaining 20 beneficiaries will study at Nigerian universities in fields including engineering, geosciences, petroleum and environmental technology, energy economics, renewable energy and energy transition.
Established in 2007, the NNPC-NAE PSC postgraduate scholarship scheme is part of the partners’ human capital development programme aimed at promoting specialised knowledge and addressing skills shortages in Nigeria’s deep offshore oil and gas operations.
NAE said 380 Nigerian graduates had benefited from the scheme since its inception, gaining knowledge and skills required by the oil and gas industry.
Beyond education, Eni, through NAE, has implemented sustainability initiatives in Nigeria covering healthcare, access to water, infrastructure and community empowerment.
Eni has operated in Nigeria since 1962 and currently has an equity production of about 55,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The company also holds a 10.4 per cent stake in Nigeria LNG.
NAE was incorporated in 1996 to manage Eni’s deep offshore exploration and production assets. It became the first oil and gas company in Nigeria to produce oil from the country’s deep offshore when its Abo floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel began operations in 2003.
The company has interests in nine offshore blocks in Nigeria, either as operator or co-venturer, including PML 102 and PML 103, where the Zabazaba-Etan fields are being developed.
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