TotalEnergies’ Senior Drilling Engineer joins the BAT Hackathon 2022 judging committee, bringing over a decade of energy sector expertise and innovation leadership to the oil and gas engineering category.
Experience Meets Innovation at the BAT Hackathon 2022
Bridge Africa Technologies (BAT) has officially announced the appointment of Mr. Joshua Umejuru, a seasoned Senior Drilling Engineer at TotalEnergies EP Nigeria, as one of the distinguished judges for the 2022 BAT Hackathon, Africa’s premier innovation challenge designed to spotlight the continent’s brightest minds in engineering, technology, and sustainability.
The BAT Hackathon has become a flagship event for industry-driven innovation, connecting academia, enterprise, and entrepreneurship to solve real-world problems across sectors. The 2022 edition focuses on engineering transformation, digital integration, and sustainable industry practices, with particular emphasis on the evolution of oil and gas technologies.
Umejuru’s appointment is a strategic inclusion that reinforces BAT’s vision of aligning expertise with innovation. With over twelve years of professional experience, he brings a rare blend of technical depth, leadership maturity, and innovation-driven insight to this year’s judging panel.
A Career Defined by Precision and Progress
Joshua Umejuru’s career journey is one marked by consistency, innovation, and results. A graduate with both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Engineering, his foundation reflects a deep commitment to technical excellence. Over the past decade, he has become one of Nigeria’s most respected petroleum engineers, renowned for his work in drilling engineering, well intervention, and workover operations.
Currently serving as Senior Drilling Engineer at TotalEnergies EP Nigeria, Umejuru has played a vital role in shaping the company’s drilling efficiency and operational safety strategy. His work has consistently demonstrated the value of disciplined engineering combined with forward-looking problem-solving.
Colleagues describe him as a professional who blends analytical rigor with creative thinking, a rare combination that allows him to design solutions that are both technically sound and economically viable. His approach to engineering reflects not only an understanding of the physical systems that drive oilfield operations but also an appreciation for how technology and data can transform traditional workflows.
Engineering Innovation that Delivers Results
At the heart of Umejuru’s recognition is his contribution to digital transformation in drilling operations. His development of the DDI Engineering Toolkit stands as a landmark achievement. The toolkit, now adopted internally within TotalEnergies, enhances well trajectory feasibility, integrating real-time data and predictive algorithms to improve accuracy, safety, and project turnaround.
This solution addressed a long-standing challenge in well design — balancing precision with efficiency. By reducing the time spent on trajectory analysis and improving planning accuracy, the DDI Toolkit has helped save significant resources, strengthened project predictability, and enhanced engineering collaboration.
In addition to his digital contributions, Umejuru has authored technical studies that identified over 500 million dollars in cost savings for well decommissioning projects. His work combined technical analysis with financial modeling to present feasible cost-reduction strategies without compromising safety or environmental standards.
He also designed development plans for major offshore campaigns, incorporating innovative methods for well delivery optimization and risk mitigation. These achievements have made him a reference point in drilling optimization, both within TotalEnergies and the wider energy community.
His leadership was tested most visibly during the COVID-19 pandemic when he served as Lead Personnel on Board (POB) Coordinator, managing between 300 and 700 offshore personnel daily across multiple facilities. Through his structured communication and safety-focused approach, TotalEnergies maintained uninterrupted operations, achieving zero downtime despite global disruptions.
A Perfect Fit for the Oil and Gas Engineering Categories
Joshua Umejuru’s expertise in drilling systems, field operations, and engineering economics positions him as a key voice on the BAT Hackathon 2022 judging panel, especially for entries in the oil and gas engineering innovation categories.
The Hackathon’s 2022 focus on energy technology evolution calls for judges who understand both the technical realities and strategic imperatives of the industry. Umejuru’s blend of on-the-ground experience and innovation leadership ensures that solutions will be assessed with precision, fairness, and relevance to Africa’s evolving industrial landscape.
According to BAT’s organizing committee, his appointment “reflects the Hackathon’s commitment to technical credibility and mentorship. Mr. Umejuru’s presence ensures that innovations in the oil and gas category will be evaluated not just on creativity but on their real potential to improve operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability.”
His reputation for critical thinking and practical evaluation also makes him an asset in identifying scalable solutions. Beyond judging, his participation will inspire dialogue among participants, encouraging young innovators to ground their ideas in technical feasibility and measurable value.
Aligning with Bridge Africa Technologies’ Vision
Bridge Africa Technologies’ mission is to accelerate Africa’s transformation through technological excellence, mentorship, and cross-industry collaboration. The BAT Hackathon embodies this mission, bringing together experts who can translate innovation into actionable outcomes.
Joshua’s professional ethos aligns seamlessly with this vision. His career reflects the same principles BAT promotes — a belief that progress stems from combining engineering discipline with digital innovation. As a thought leader advocating for sustainable energy development and digital adoption in engineering, he embodies the bridge between established industry knowledge and the creative problem-solving spirit of a new generation of African technologists.
His inclusion on the panel not only strengthens the event’s credibility but also deepens its mentorship value. For participants, the opportunity to have their innovations reviewed by professionals like Umejuru provides invaluable industry perspective and validation. For BAT, it reinforces the Hackathon’s role as more than a competition — a platform where mentorship meets measurable innovation.
Leadership, Mentorship, and the Future of African Engineering
Beyond technical proficiency, Joshua is known for his commitment to mentorship and knowledge transfer. He has actively guided young engineers within and outside TotalEnergies, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning, ethical leadership, and professional integrity.
His leadership philosophy reflects the same principles that drive the BAT Hackathon: building capacity for sustainable innovation and empowering Africans to solve Africa’s challenges. He believes that the future of engineering in Africa depends on collaboration between experienced professionals and emerging innovators, supported by platforms that encourage experimentation and accountability.
“The next generation of African engineers will not just operate systems; they will design them,” he once remarked at an energy conference. “Our responsibility is to prepare them for that role.”
This mindset, grounded in mentorship and practical knowledge-sharing, makes his appointment a meaningful step toward connecting industry veterans with the continent’s rising talent.
Conclusion: A Judging Role that Reflects Africa’s Innovation Momentum
Joshua Umejuru’s selection as a Judge for the 2022 BAT Hackathon represents more than recognition; it symbolizes the alignment of experience, innovation, and mentorship that defines Bridge Africa Technologies’ vision for the continent.
As the Hackathon prepares to convene innovators from across Africa, his presence on the judging panel ensures that the evaluation process will be guided by both technical expertise and strategic foresight. Participants in the oil and gas engineering categories can expect balanced, insightful, and experience-driven feedback from a professional who understands the realities of engineering in Africa’s energy landscape.
According to the BAT Hackathon organizing committee, “Leaders like Joshua embody the essence of what this platform stands for — innovation with impact, guided by knowledge and integrity. His contribution will help shape ideas that advance Africa’s industrial growth story.”
As Bridge Africa Technologies continues to drive collaboration across technology and industry, appointments like Joshua’s remind the continent that progress thrives when experience and innovation move together toward a shared vision of transformation.