The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Professor Sadiq Zubair Abubakar, has called on stakeholders in the country’s engineering and technical education sectors to work collectively toward securing Nigeria’s full membership of the Sydney and Dublin Accords.
This move, he said, would enhance the global recognition of Nigerian engineering qualifications and open new opportunities for professionals abroad.
Abubakar made the call in Abuja during a one-day workshop on the Sydney and Dublin Accord Application by Nigeria, jointly organised by COREN and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
The event was convened to guide stakeholders through the requirements, procedures, and timelines for Nigeria’s formal application to the two international engineering education frameworks.
According to him, attaining membership of the accords under the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) represents a crucial national goal that will strengthen the credibility of Nigeria’s engineering education system.
“The opportunity has come for us to formalise to ensure that we have global recognition by joining these accords. It is a national assignment, and all hands must be on deck to ensure it succeeds so that Nigeria can export its abundant human capital through certified engineering practitioners,” he said.
The accords, Sydney for technologists (HND level) and Dublin for technicians (OND level), are global frameworks that promote international benchmarking of engineering qualifications, enhance quality assurance, and facilitate the mobility of engineering professionals across borders.
Delivering the opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Professor Idris M. Bugaje, explained the importance of international accreditation in advancing Nigeria’s technical and vocational education system.
“It’s not enough to have national accreditation by the NUC and NBTE. More important is that there should be an international benchmark, and that is what the three accords are all about,” Bugaje said.
He disclosed that while Nigeria is already nearing full membership of the Washington Accord, which covers university-level engineering degrees, efforts are now being concentrated on achieving similar international recognition for the HND and OND levels through the Sydney and Dublin Accords.
The workshop featured three technical sessions led by Professor Megat Johari Megat Mohd Noor of the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM), a global assessor and Chair of the Dublin Accord.
His sessions provided detailed insights into the requirements, processes, and timelines for membership, as well as strategies for implementation.
Other key presentations included Strategies for Advocacy and Sensitisation by Professor Christian Bolu, Chairman of the Engineering Accreditation Committee (EAC), who stressed the role of effective communication and stakeholder engagement in achieving the national objective.
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