Nigeria’s Provisional Signatory to the Washington Accord: A New Dawn for Engineering Education
Nigeria’s provisional membership in the Washington Accord marks a pivotal moment for the nation’s engineering sector. This important step enhances the competitiveness of Nigerian engineering education through global benchmarking. Given that engineering education is directly linked to nation-building, security, economic growth, and public welfare, this is a welcome development.
The 2023 announcement of Nigeria as a provisional signatory to the Washington Accord stands as a historic achievement for the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), whose tireless efforts made this advancement possible. It represents the most defining moment in COREN’s journey to elevate engineering standards nationwide.
With this new status, Nigerian engineering institutions are now required to adopt international best practices in teaching, accreditation, and professional certification. Frameworks such as BMAS, NSQF, and EAC will serve as guides for curriculum development and structured career progression for technologists, technicians, and artisans. This alignment helps bridge the skills gap, enhances the quality of graduates, and boosts Nigeria’s global competitiveness.
Nigeria’s recent status as a provisional Washington Accord member also enables young engineers to position themselves within this shift and align with global standards. With this shift there would be an emphasis on outcome based education. The Sector Skill Council For Engineering, SSC4E, model will be used as a powerful tool in uplifting engineering education and reducing the skill gap. By developing National Occupational Standards and ensuring alignment with The National Skill Qualification Framework, NSQF, SSC4E is helping to standardize engineering education across the country and prepare a workforce ready for global challenges.
With new regulations and frameworks all that is left to do is proper implementation through strong political will. Every engineer must see their role as contributing to economic development, security and societal wellbeing. Institutions like COREN, NSE, NBTE, NUC, ITF and NAE must lead the charge to reform and standardise engineering education through advocacy and enforcement.
Nigeria’s journey to full Washington Accord membership has begun, and the world is watching. The future of engineering in Nigeria is here and full of promise.