NADDC trains NYSC members in CNG conversion, opens doors to clean mobility business
By Aboki Forex —
The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has trained hundreds of NYSC members in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle conversion, urging them to seize the growing opportunities in Nigeria's clean mobility industry.
The training took place at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Lagos on Monday under the NADDC-NYSC CNG Retrofitting Training Programme, implemented through the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) scheme.
What the training covers
NADDC Director-General and CEO, Joseph Osanipin, represented by Ikechukwu Okoha, Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations, said the programme goes beyond issuing certificates. The goal is to develop competent automotive technicians and entrepreneurs who can play a meaningful role in Nigeria's expanding CNG ecosystem.
Corps members are being trained in CNG components, installation techniques, fuel-system integration, electrical and electronic connections, leak detection, testing, calibration, diagnostics and vehicle maintenance.
Osanipin also stressed safety, warning participants not to carry out conversion work until they have acquired the required technical competence.
Free certification and one year of practical training
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi, encouraged the corps members to take full advantage of the Federal Government's CNG conversion programme. She said the initiative could open up substantial employment and entrepreneurship opportunities as demand for cleaner and more affordable vehicle fuel options grows.
Gbadamosi disclosed that Osanipin had pledged to certify, at no cost, corps members who are prepared to establish their own CNG conversion workshops. This move, she said, would reduce the financial and technical barriers facing young people entering the sector.
She also revealed that after completing their orientation programme, young engineers would be posted to accredited CNG conversion centres for a year of practical training.
Path to entrepreneurship
Gbadamosi urged participants to take the opportunity seriously, noting that the skills acquired could serve as a pathway to successful businesses in the emerging clean mobility market.
“You can become a billionaire and set up your own workstation,” she told the corps members.
In February 2026, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) launched a six-week CNG conversion training programme for 400 youths across the Niger Delta. Also, the Nigerian government opened a portal allowing youths to access CNG-powered tricycles, popularly known as Keke. Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the portal activation followed the government's launch of 2,000 CNG tricycles on October 1, 2024.
For Nigerian businesses and consumers, a steady supply of trained CNG technicians could lower conversion costs and speed up the switch to cheaper, cleaner fuel. That is good news for transport operators and households feeling the weight of petrol prices.