Nigeria's oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has called for greater international investment in oil and gas training to support new exploration in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Punch Nigeria reports that the minister made her comments to industry professionals meeting in Abuja this week.

She stressed that as global reserves dwindle it will become increasingly important to safeguard both the development of Nigeria's natural assets and the wellbeing of its people and the environment.

"We need to see decent jobs, training that will enable us more and more to take charge, and the transfer of technology to improve our own output," she commented.

The Nigerian government has recently introduced a new local content act to bring new training standards for the oil and gas industry into law.

Under the new legislation, international oil companies will be required to give priority to Nigerian workers when appointing positions and invest in new training opportunities.

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