Nigeria recently became a temporary signatory to washing accord. This international engineering alliance gives engineers from member states opportunity to work in member countries without restriction or recertifications. This automatically puts Nigerian engineers in the international engineering market and supports the aspiration of Nigerian engineers who wish to practice abroad. However, retaining this privilege and converting it to permanent status requires Nigerian engineering education to become outcome-based in compliance to the requirements of this international engineering alliance. Consequently, engineering stakeholders and experts gathered had developed and validated curriculum, guidelines and framework for implementation of outcome-based education in engineering through two sets of workshops. The first hybrid workshop was organised at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka on the 28^th August, 2023, this workshop developed these educational instruments. While the second workshop which validated these educational instruments took place on 22^nd September 2023 at the Nigerian Society of Engineers’ Auditorium, National Engineering Centre, Abuja. The two stakeholders’ workshops featured experts from the industry, academia, regulators, advocacy groups and student representatives, and were organized by EngineeringXpress.  EngineeringXpress is a sustainable engineering education project sponsored by the Royal Academy of Engineering, Lloyd’s Register Foundation and Onyia Construction with collaboration of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria COREN, Nigeria Society of Engineers and Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, APWEN and University of Nigeria, UNN.

During their opening remarks at the event, the workshop chairman and COREN Council Member Engr. Prof. Abdulkarim Nasir said that the workshop could not have come at a better time than now as COREN and other stakeholders are focused to implement outcome-based education in engineering across Nigeria. Hence, he expressed gratitude for the organizations. Similarly, the Director of Research, EngineeringXpress and Head of Agric & Bio Resources engineering department, UNN Engr. Prof. Chinenye Anyadike thanked the Royal Academy of Engineering and all collaborating organizations for sponsoring EngineeringXpress. She also that all the participants at the workshops.

The Principal Investigator and coordinator of EngineeringXpress Dr. Uzor Onyia explained that unlike the disjointed structure currently in place, the introduced curriculum guidelines and academia-industry framework is designed to close the gap between industry and academia. Expanding the role of the industry in training of future engineers and ensuring that academic research projects are led by industrial emerging trends and technologies. Thereby enabling the students to acquire industry relevant skills and experience which in school.

The Keynote Speaker and Registrar of COREN Engr. Prof. Adisa, A. Bello while acknowledging the series of work done by EngineeringXpress, thanked the participants for their commitment and efforts but also called for continued inclusive approach to outcome-based engineering education. According to him;  

“I sincerely thank the organisers and the grant winners of the Royal Academy of Engineering aimed at identifying and developing industry relevant engineering skills for a safe and innovative engineering education and practice in developing countries. I wish to restate the commitment of the Council to work closely with all stakeholders towards engineering regulation, promotion of value creation, technology development and economic growth…Distinguish ladies and gentlemen, on June 14, 2023, Nigeria (COREN) was admitted into the Washington Accord of the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) as a provisional signatory status member, placing Nigeria on the global engineering map. The implication of this is that our certificates are now internationalised and mobility of our engineers will be so recognised in all member jurisdictions like Germany, India, Britain, USA, Canada, Mexico etc. To stay on this elite global engineering map, our educational status which is substantially equivalent to the member jurisdictions, must be improved upon from time to time. This requires us to fully implement Outcome-based Education in our engineering education. OBE is about graduating engineers with handson engineering skills and competencies. This aligns with this project titled, “Sustainable Engineering Education through Innovation and Industry Based Skills Development and Practice – EngineeringXpress”. EngineeringXpress is contributing to the building and maintaining the capacity for safe and innovative engineering education and practice by understanding and closing the existing gaps between engineering education and practice in Nigeria. This will further promote the triple helix of Academia-Industry-Government.”

On his part the President of the Nigeria Society of Engineers Engr. Tasiu Sa’ad Gidari-Wudil thanked the participants and sponsors of EngineeringXpress, the Royal Academy of Engineering. He expressed the continued commitment of the Nigeria Society of Engineers towards the full implementation of outcome-based engineering education in Nigeria. similarly, the President of Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, APWEN Engr. Dr. Elizabeth Eterigho, FNSE expressed delight at the successful development and validation of the curriculum guidelines and academia-industry collaboration framework. She stated her optimism that the effort would improve the capacity of Nigerian engineers especially women. She thanked Dr. Uzor Onyia and Onyia Construction for their commitment to EngineeringXpress and assured that APWEN will continue to support and collaborate with the worthy course for improved engineering education and practice in Nigeria. she further advocated for change in the traditional method of teaching and assessing engineering students and called for practical and entrepreneurial based educational approach.

During his remark The Dean of Engineering Faculty, UNN and Director of World Bank African Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development ACESPED Engr. Prof. Emenike Ejiogu insisted that that academia-industry collaboration is critical to make engineering education more stimulating and exciting for today’s students. He further thanked the participants, organizers and sponsors of EngineeringXpress for achieving this very important requirement of outcome-based education for Washington accord.

It is worthy to note that the former vice president of COREN Engr. Prof. Cliford Nwoji, chairman of Engineering Curriculum Committee, UNN Engr. Prof Constantine Mabjiogu, Engr. Prof. Sikiru Ottan, Engr. Prof. Wilfred Oknokwo chaired respectively chaired the five syndicate groups to validate the curriculum guidelines and academia-industry collaboration framework. Each group further presented the recommendations for the improvement of these outcome-based educational instruments for engineering in Nigeria.

At the end, the former president of Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria APWEN Engr. Dr. Felicia Agubata thanked the Royal Academy, Lloldy’s Register Foundation, Onyia Construction, COREN, NSE, APWEN and UNN for sponsoring and supporting EngineeringXpress. She also thanked all participants and organizers for their committed effort to the full implementation of outcome-based education in Engineering.