Fasthire leads AI adoption conversation at NSE PH technical evening

Fasthire Leads AI Adoption Conversation at NSE PH Technical Evening

Richard Okiasi, Team Lead of Fasthire Services, urged engineers to actively embrace artificial intelligence or risk professional irrelevance during the September general meeting and Technical Evening of the Port Harcourt branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE PH).

The session, held at the NSE PH Secretariat, drew more than 100 physical attendees and focused on practical steps for remaining relevant as AI reshapes engineering practice, productivity and the future of work. Okiasi’s presentation, titled “Future-Proofing Your Engineering Career in an Era of AI,” framed AI not as a threat that will simply eliminate jobs, but as an engineering achievement that multiplies output — while leaving those who fail to adapt vulnerable to displacement by colleagues who master the tools.

What Happened at the NSE PH Technical Evening

Fasthire Services, a Port Harcourt-based human-resources and career-development firm specialising in recruitment and corporate training, took the lead in the discussion. Okiasi, who also organises CareerFest, a multi-part job fair, delivered the guest lecture and later indicated the company’s interest in partnering with NSE PH to improve engineers’ access to employment opportunities.

The technical session was followed by interactive contributions, professional networking and engagement among members. The event forms part of the regular Technical Evenings organised by the Port Harcourt branch, one of the larger and more active units of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, which has long served the oil-and-gas and infrastructure ecosystem of the Niger Delta.

Why AI Skills Matter for Nigerian Engineers

Okiasi described AI as a productivity multiplier capable of moving output “from 1 to 100.” He stressed that the technology itself is the product of engineering advances and that the real risk lies not in machines replacing people, but in people who understand AI replacing those who do not.

In the Nigerian context, this message carries particular weight. Port Harcourt and the wider Rivers State economy remain heavily tied to oil, gas, petrochemicals, power and large-scale infrastructure. Engineering professionals in these sectors already confront pressure from automation, digital twins, predictive maintenance, advanced design software and data-driven project management. AI tools that accelerate design iterations, optimise processes, analyse sensor data or generate documentation are becoming standard rather than experimental.

Engineers who treat AI as an optional skill risk falling behind colleagues and international competitors who integrate it into daily workflows. Conversely, those who develop competence in applying AI within their domain — whether civil, mechanical, electrical, petroleum or process engineering — stand to increase both personal productivity and organisational value.

Broader Implications for African Markets and Skills Development

The conversation at NSE PH sits within a wider African trend. Across the continent, professional bodies, universities and employers are grappling with how to equip the workforce for an AI-augmented economy. In Nigeria, the engineering profession underpins critical infrastructure delivery, energy projects and industrial expansion — all areas that attract both domestic and foreign investment.

Skills gaps in digital and AI literacy can slow project execution, raise costs and reduce competitiveness. At the same time, targeted upskilling can create new career pathways, support higher-value services and help retain talent. Human-resources firms such as Fasthire that combine recruitment with training are positioning themselves at the intersection of these needs.

For investors and policymakers watching Nigerian human capital, events of this nature provide a useful signal: professional associations are beginning to treat AI adoption as a core professional development issue rather than a distant technology discussion. Progress (or lack of it) will influence the speed at which local engineering capacity can support large capital projects and industrial diversification.

Readers tracking skills, labour-market and technology trends across African economies can follow related coverage on MarketPulse Africa and its blog, which regularly examine how technological change intersects with investment, employment and macroeconomic performance.

What Businesses, Engineers and Investors Should Watch

Several practical indicators will determine how quickly AI moves from discussion to daily practice among Nigerian engineers:

• The scale and quality of continuing-professional-development programmes offered by NSE branches and partner institutions.

• Partnerships between professional societies, training providers and employers that translate awareness into usable skills.

• Demand signals from oil-and-gas, power, construction and manufacturing companies for AI-literate engineers.

• Policy and regulatory developments around data, automation and professional licensing that either enable or constrain AI use.

• Graduate and mid-career training pipelines that incorporate AI tools relevant to engineering workflows.

None of these factors constitutes investment advice; they simply represent the observable developments that market participants and professionals are likely to monitor.

Practical Takeaways

For engineers

• Treat AI competence as a core professional skill rather than an optional extra.

• Focus on domain-specific applications (design assistance, data analysis, predictive tools, documentation) rather than generic chatbot use.

• Document and communicate new capabilities; visibility often precedes opportunity.

For businesses and project owners

• Assess internal skills gaps in AI-augmented engineering workflows.

• Explore partnerships with training and recruitment specialists who understand both technical and labour-market realities.

• Factor AI productivity gains into project planning and cost models.

For general observers of African markets

• Skills development in engineering remains a quiet but material input into infrastructure delivery and industrial competitiveness.

• Professional-body initiatives such as the NSE PH Technical Evening provide early signals of how seriously the workforce is treating the transition.

How MarketPulse Africa Helps

MarketPulse Africa supplies real-time intelligence on African markets, covering equities, currencies, commodities, central-bank policy, corporate developments, trade and macroeconomic trends. For readers following the intersection of technology adoption, skills and economic capacity — particularly in engineering-heavy sectors such as energy and infrastructure — the platform brings together market data, corporate news and regional analysis in one place.

Conclusion

Fasthire’s intervention at the NSE PH Technical Evening placed a clear, practical challenge before Nigerian engineers: master AI tools or risk being overtaken by those who do. The message is neither alarmist nor purely aspirational; it reflects the direction of change already visible in engineering practice worldwide and increasingly relevant to Nigeria’s oil, gas and infrastructure economy.

How quickly professional bodies, training providers and employers convert awareness into widespread competence will influence both individual careers and the broader competitiveness of projects across the Niger Delta and beyond.

Follow MarketPulse Africa for continued coverage of technology adoption, skills development and the macroeconomic forces shaping African markets.