Samsung Heavy Industries Nigeria Limited (SHIN) has commended the Federal Government, particularly the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for carrying out feasibility study for the construction of ship repair facility to serve LNG carriers, crude oil tankers and other merchant vessels in Nigeria.

Managing Director of SHIN, Mr. Jejin Jeon, gave the commendation at the opening session of the 2021 Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) in Abuja.

The SHIN Managing Director told participants the $300 million of pure investment made by the company in building the Lagos integration and fabrication yard, a set of world-class fabrication and integration facilities, had indeed opened a passage for Nigeria to potentially become one of the major players in international oil and gas industry.

Jeon, however, lamented the major constraint remains as there is no adequate shipbuilding or repair facility in Nigeria which could accommodate ships in the range of 19K to 200KGT despite her geographical advantage that is optimized for ship repair businesses.

“It is therefore laudable that NCDMB and Ministry of Petroleum is exhibiting excellent pioneer spirit by conducting a feasibility study for the construction of ship repair facilities in country to serve LNG carriers, Crude Oil Tankers and other merchant vessels in Nigeria,” he said.

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Jeon noted through the Egina Project, Samsung has demonstrated through real investment, rigorous training, health and safety policies and environmental awareness, local fabrication and integration can take place in Nigeria at a world class level.

He appealed for continuous support of all government ministries and agencies at all times to ensure that the company and other foreign investors are able to overcome challenges and difficulties that are often caused by some local partners and vendors in Nigeria.

‘Through effective legislation and initiatives such as the ease of doing business, Foreign Investors are given the protections necessary and required to overcome these challenges and achieve the intended growth and development for Nigeria to benefit greatly.

“Working hand-in-hand with government and its agencies, this is definitely achievable and will send a very clear and eager message to other foreign investors with the interest in coming to Nigeria for further investment in a peaceful environment,” Jeon explained.

Jeon described Samsung Heavy Industries as a global leader in shipbuilding and offshore EPC business with an unrivalled competitiveness.

According to him, Samsung also maintained the world’s largest market shares in the fields of high technology and high-value added products such as oil Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) units, FLNG, LNG carriers, Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) and Drill Ships.

“As a global player in the shipbuilding and maritime industry across the world and a home to one of the world’s top three shipyards in the world, Samsung strongly believe that Nigeria can develop ship repair and shipbuilding industry without a fail.

“Our commitment and investment in Nigeria remains an ongoing pledge to create an environment filled with enough skill labor to eventually enable the construction of new vessels within Nigeria in the long run,” he explained.

He described Nigeria as a Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey.

Jeon noted that owing to its strategic location by the coastline, Nigeria is also the pivot of West Africa’s shipping activities with over 3,000 commercial ships sized over 19K to 200K GT flocking in and out of the country for various marine activities each year.

He said SHIN recognised Nigeria’s limitless potentials and had invested over $300m in Nigeria to build the SHI-MCI yard, which he described as the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa, equipped with the latest technology and innovative production techniques, executed to the same high standard as the parent company in South Korea.

According to him, the facility was built to enable in-country fabrication and integration of key ship modules.

He said with the facility, Samsung was able to deliver the world’s biggest FPSO vessel, Egina for the very first time in Nigeria.

“This successful venture with NNPC and TOTAL enabled Samsung to engage thousands of Nigerians, directly and indirectly, during which we trained them in our World Class Training Qualification Centre.

“Samsung believes in the future of Nigeria and part of our commitment to this country is to give the best training to thousands of men and women to attain world class accreditation of key skill sets such as welding, blasting, painting, fitting and scaffolding and so on,” he added.

By Muyiwa Lucas

Barring any distortion, the country’s gas sales is projected to hit 2.2 billion cubic feet (bcf) by the end of the year. In view of this, the Federal Government has said the country has begun the search for a $40 billion direct investment in the gas sector, anchored on its “Decade of Gas” initiative declaration earlier in the year.

The Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Yusuf Usman, at a virtual forum organised by the Association of Local Distributors of Gas (ALDG), tagged, “The Decade of Gas: Unlocking opportunities in the domestic gas market.”

According to Usman, the corporation is targeting between 7.4 billion cubic feet and 10 billion cubic feet of gas in the next couple of years, compared to 1.6 bcf supply capacity. He, however, noted that a major constraint in achieving local content through the programme is the difficult conditions placed by foreign lenders.

According to him, the corporation expects to grow about 10 gas-based industries as it works towards the 10-year target. He added that the figure on the quantum of funds needed is based on the submissions NNPC has received from potential investors. About 39 thermal power plants were being targeted as compared to 33.

By his projections, by end, the corporation would have increased gas sales to about 600 mmscfd, compared to 1.6 bcf , which will take the figure to the 2.2 bcf projection.

“In terms of benefits, we will generate 45,000 megawatts of power in terms of gas use, creating massive employment and import substitution. There are changes we need to look at to actualise the decade of gas. We see the huge amount of investment, both Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) that will come into the country upward of $40 billion or much more than that in order to achieve all the aggressive plans that that are outlined in the decade of gas.

“This investment will come in the upstream, midstream and downstream, but there are challenges as well because there have been a lot of announcements around funding for fossil fuels and these are some of the things we have to look at as we go forward and we need to figure out the announcement vis-a-vis the foreign estimate that we expect,” Usman said.

He added that the NNPC has a supply plan to deliver up to 4.5 bcf of gas into the market and subsequently, increase to 7.4 bcf of gas. He said there were urgent plans to complete ongoing gas projects, including the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) project, which he described as one of the most aggressive and biggest pipeline infrastructure ever embarked upon by the country. The pipeline spans 614 km.

He said the ongoing gas activities were being handled by local construction firms and service providers to due to the COVID-19 restrictions. “Going forward into 10 years, we expect to do another big pipeline that will take up gas from south, all the way into Ajaokuta and possibly we extend it all the way to Maiduguri,” he said.

Usman stated that by NNPC’s projection, the demand for gas to generate electricity will consume between 60 and 70 per cent of the commodity produced, with plans to generate 45,000MW of electricity.

“The other challenge we have is the liquidity in the power sector, and there’s a lot of work going on because it is a very huge market. If you see the demand projections that we have done, it is going to consume 60 to 70 per cent of the gas that we have.

“Not only that; without power, all the development programmes we are thinking of will be a mirage. It is an inevitable equation that we have to solve to move towards development and issues around it have to be resolved,” he stated.

He urged policy makers to answer the questions surrounding gas pricing, since Nigeria is interested in using gas as a source of revenue as well as balancing between investment and local content drive.

“All these FDI come with conditionality before taking the money. That will put a limit to our local content drive. As you all know, the restrictions by itself affect the kind of projections that we look at,” he added.

He stated that if Nigeria would achieve the decade of gas, it must transit to a willing-buyer, willing-seller market.

Participants at the maiden African Local Content Roundtable, organised by the African Petroleum Producers Association (APPO), have resolved to develop regional oil and gas investments and renegotiate the COP-21 Climate Change Agreement. The event held at the Nigerian Content Tower in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

Stakeholders in the energy sector contended that the agreement would propel the move by developed countries to disuse fossil fuels (oil and gas) as the preferred source of energy for transportation and embrace renewable sources.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, in a keynote address at the two-day retreat, charged African oil-producing countries and their oil and gas firms to cooperate in developing and sharing capacities and capabilities that would optimise hydrocarbon deposits and achieve economic growth and development.

He also advised that it was time to “quickly create innovative funding mechanisms for major projects using local resources and break away from the yoke of depending on foreign lenders who are becoming increasingly reluctant to fund hydrocarbon-related projects”.

Sylva expressed the hope that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would make it possible for well-established local manufacturing, operating and service companies to operate across the continent’s hydrocarbons industry without hitches.

The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, hinted that the roundtable is a key initiative of the Board’s “Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap” and the intent is to extend Local Content across the African continent and ensure access to market for capacities that have been developed locally.

According to him, one strategy for growing Local Content on the continent is by creating an Africa Local Content Fund that could be utilised to set up a bank or finance institution to provide funding for the development of oil and gas projects in Africa. This, he noted, had become necessary in view of the declaration of some countries and banks to stop funding hydrocarbon related projects in their push for a shift towards renewable energy.

“These funds can also be utilised to part-finance infrastructural projects in support of production and evacuation of oil and gas products for use by the African populace,” he said, adding that there was an urgent need for African oil producers to invest in research and development.

Our Reporter 

Stakeholders and policy leaders in Africa’s Oil and Gas and other related sectors have unanimously advocated for a new local content strategy for Africa with a focus on adequate regulatory framework, funding, human capacity development and strategic Research and Development (R&D) with effective gaps analysis to positively drive the local content narrative as an imperative for domestication and sustainable growth of Africa’s hydrocarbon resources.

The stakeholders who gathered at the maiden edition of the African Local Content Roundtable in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State agreed that funding is critical to driving local content, especially with the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected the economy of most Africa countries.

Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, while setting the context at the Pan-African engagement, harped on the need for a strong regulatory framework as part of the efforts by the Nigerian government to make local content a core part of the national energy policy framework.

He said funding and incentives are critical to implementing “local content programmes, develop infrastructure, attract new investments, and keep existing businesses afloat” adding that the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) has earmarked a $350million intervention fund in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BOI).

Wabote recalled that the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content (NOGICD Act) 2010 as established, makes the NCDMB the sole regulator of Oil and Gas in Nigeria.

He said “A sustainable local content practice requires that the right regulatory framework is put in place, regular gap analysis and the setting of targets for gap closure. The right resources including funding and incentives are required to build capacities and capabilities. R&D is the key drivers to bring innovation and avoid obsolescence”

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, opined that Africa must now come up with policies that will further deepen the conversations on local content administration, adding that the success story of the NCDMB as the champion of local content practice in Africa has led to the extension of local content services to other sectors in Nigeria and Africa at large.

Sylva, regretted that decades of exploration of hydrocarbon in Nigeria have not translated into sustainable growth, stressing that the African Local Content Roundtable will henceforth be a “signatory event”. He said Nigeria must also look to explore its 303billion cubic feet of gas reserves.

Secretary-General of African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), Omar Farouk Ibrahim, stressed the need to put resources together before it is late to harness Africa’s oil products, adding that the time has come for countries in Africa to “close its eyes to the challenges of boundaries.”

He further stated that as a result of the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization is now committed to ensuring that hydrocarbon emissions are curtailed, as well as the continents’ over-dependence on oil, stressing that it has become paramount for every nation to have its refinery and gas plants.

APPO Executive Board Member from Algeria, Madam Massout Samia, posited that Africa must introduce facilitation and document activities to augment resources related to local content. She said aside from the regulation of hydrocarbon and the revenue that comes in from oil, benefits from technological advancement must also be pursued.

The Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) Mr. Nicholas Odinuwe called on African governments to develop mechanisms for independent start-ups, as policies alone are not enough to drive local content in Africa. He said the legislation remains essential.

The Commissioner, Energy, And Mines (ECOWAS), Mr. Sediko Douka, listed some of the challenges impeding the local content initiative as the absence of well-established institutions, lowly motivated staff, lack of private sector participation, low level of value addition, licensing, and climate change.

The ECOWAS rep emphasized the need to improve on regional cooperation and development of the extractive industry with a call for improved infrastructure to promote an investment-friendly climate and the establishment of institutions to drive the local content narrative in Africa.

He also prescribed the promotion of the advancement of human capabilities through training and enhancement as a panacea for integrated guidelines for social corporate responsibility. He further stressed the need to have local content as the backbone for development in Africa and urged member countries to ensure that its oil facilities are open to member countries.

Executive Secretary, National Action Committee on AfCFTA, Mr. Francis Anatogu observed that for any product to be considered as local content, it must meet a minimum local content standard.

“We must do local content to protect our currency and grow it. Africa records over $500billion of products per annum,” he noted.

According to the AfCFTA Exec Secretary, the local content initiative is capable of lifting 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty, boost the incomes of nearly 68 million others who live on less than $5.50 a day, increase Africa’s exports by $560 billion, mostly in manufacturing, and boost Africa’s income by $450 billion by 2035.

By Muyiwa Lucas

EKO Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EKEDC) has partnered the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) to improve electricity supply in Lagos.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was, according to a statement by the firm, signed to seal the partnership which will improve the quality of supply to parts of Lagos and other parts of EKEDC’s franchise area.

This further cements the collaboration between the state, EKEDC and some Meter Asset Providers (MAPs) to embark on extensive mass metering of households in the state in line with the Federal Government’s National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).

The signing ceremony for the MoU was chaired by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and coordinated by Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Olalere Odusote. EKEDC was represented by its Managing Director/CEO, Adeoye Fadeyibi and directors, George Etomi and Dere Otubu. NDPHC was represented by its Managing Director/CEO, Chiedu Ugbo, Executive Director, Legal Services, Mohammed Mahmud and advisors, Sola Arifayan and Chukwubuike Onwuzurumba.

The governor stated that Lagos State is an interested stakeholder in the collaboration, and that he will continue to check with both EKEDC and NDPHC to follow up on the progress and ensure proper implementation.

The Managing Director/CEO of EKEDC, Adeoye Fadeyibi, said: “As a power utility company, we commend the vision of this administration for power generation and distribution in the state. We also appreciate your acknowledgment of the critical role of power in creating a sustainable city.

“We are delighted to be partners in this laudable vision of your Excellency to transform Lagos State into the destination for all residential, commercial, and business interests. In alignment with the Governor’s desire for stable and uninterrupted power supply for the state, we announce our partnership with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) which aims to improve electricity supply by close to 400MW to Lagos State. Under this partnership, we will explore the modalities for the supply of power from two Power Plants”, he said.

Fadeyibi noted that the deal aligns with the efforts of the EKEDC to bridge the metering gap and improve the quality of electricity supply to customers. He appreciated customers for their immense support for the company in its quest to continue to empower the quality of lives of all stakeholders.

The MD/CEO of NDPHC, Chiedu Ugbo, stated that EKEDC and NDPHC have complementary objectives of ensuring that power gets to the customers, and the investment required to do this is mobilised. Both companies’ mutual objective is to work together to deliver the arrangements that will ensure safe, reliable, and steady supply of power to customers in Ibeju-Lekki and other parts of EKEDC’s franchise area.

The collaboration is significant considering the strategic importance of Lagos State as Nigeria’s commercial capital and host state for key industries in Nigeria. Based on this, the companies’ mutual objective is to work together to deliver the arrangements that will ensure safe, reliable and steady supply of power to customers in Ibeju-Lekki and other parts of EKEDC’s franchise area.

The collaboration is significant considering the strategic importance of Lagos State as Nigeria’s commercial capital and host state for key industries in Nigeria. It is also for this reason that that NDPHC and EKEDC are pleased to be signing the MoU in the presence of Mr. Governor, who is himself a key member of NDPHC’s Board of Directors, and whose state, Lagos, is one of NDPHC’s shareholders.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is considering equity participation in some private refineries in line with a Federal Government’s policy directive which stipulates the mandatory participation of the corporation in any private refinery that exceeds 50,000 barrels per day capacity in keeping with its statutory role of safeguarding national energy security.

In this regard, the Corporation has identified at least six refinery projects in which it intends to seek equity participation, five of them are at the development stage with the Dangote Refinery being the largest of them.

In a statement, the corporation’s spokesperson, Dr. Kennie Obateru, explained that NNPC has a dual role of providing stewardship for the hydrocarbon resources and adding value to the resources for the benefit of Nigerians and other stakeholders.

These roles enable it to achieve the twin objectives of providing energy security for the country and stimulating the nation’s economic development and growth.

He said NNPC’s strategic objective to ensure energy security and stimulate economic growth with limited resources requires it to consider strategic partnerships with competent investors in sectors of the oil and gas value chain especially where it operates on a sole risk basis.

The sector is one of such segments where NNPC is revisiting its strategy to strengthen domestic refining capacity and guarantee National Energy Security.

The new vision is to grow domestic refining capacity, improve petroleum products supply from our local refineries and become a net exporter of petroleum products.

The corporation assures that the move to seek equity participation in the private refineries would not undercut its commitment to the rehabilitation of its own refineries and strengthen the domestic refining sector, stressing that the goal is to boost the nation’s refining capacity to become a net exporter of petroleum products in the soonest possible time and boosting the economy.

 

THE Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) have agreed to work together to deepen Nigeria’s implementation of Contract Transparency and Beneficial ownership disclosures. AMBROSE NNAJI examines how collaboration between agencies/stakeholders can resolve conflict of interest in the sector.

Beneficial owners’ of companies refer to the identity of the natural persons or real owners. However, this can be a challenge in the extractive industry, where knowing who has the rights to extract oil, gas and minerals is key to addressing risks of corruption.

It is, therefore, instructive that the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) have agreed to work together to deepen the country’s implementation of Contract Transparency and Beneficial ownership disclosures. The commitments, it is believed, will enable Nigeria to meet the compliance standards required in the implementation of beneficial ownership disclosure, contract transparency, environmental reporting, gender, mainstreaming and the implementation of recommendations in the NEITI audit reports as it concerns the DPR.

The commitment by both agencies was consummated in Lagos, recently, at a strategic meeting between the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji and the management of the DPR led by its Director, Engineer Sarki Auwalu.

Orji described the meeting as productive and quite encouraging in building inter-agency confidence and trust. ”We must applaud the DPR that a lot has changed; a lot is changing but I also acknowledge that a lot more needs to change. The whole essence of NEITI’s interventions is to ensure that revenues from our natural resource assets support national development and help reduce poverty,” he stated.

He further commended the upgrade of facility and deployment of advanced technology in the operations of the DPR, adding that what is most gratifying is that the technologies used are all home-made. “It shows the human capital capacity and potentials of Nigerians when put to task. My visit has been very enlightening. We may not be there yet, but certainly there are lots of improvements,” he stated.

He pointed out that NEITI’s work is to complement those of the regulatory agencies in the extractive sector in Nigeria. “We celebrate successes that agencies like the DPR have recorded because those are also NEITI’s success stories. We do not want to remain an island of transparency and efficiency, so we work with other stakeholders in the industry to bring about the needed change,’’ Orji emphasised.

He stated that he and his team were at the DPR to “seek partnership and collaboration,  complement our efforts at building the Nigeria oil and gas industry and to work with the DPR on all the pending issues especially on the remedial issues, findings and recommendations in the NEITI reports”.

According to the Executive Secretary, “NEITI firmly believes that Nigeria should be able to track, monitor efficiently and measure empirically what we produce, what we have lost to process lapses, vandalism, outright stealing and sabotage. We want to work with you on this issue because it is for the good of the industry and our country”.

The NEITI Executive Secretary gave an example with the NNPC, which as a result of NEITI’s intervention, is today an EITI supporting company and is disclosing information about its operations that it had never disclosed in decades. “That is a huge national obligation that the NNPC has embarked upon. We do not fight with them again on the pages of newspapers because there is a closer cooperation and collaboration on what needs to be done. This is the area and kind of relationship we want to leverage with the DPR which will also lessen the friction,” he reiterated.

He described NEITI as the needle that is needed to deflate the balloons (companies and government agencies) for a breath of fresh air on prudent natural resource management. “However, once the balloon is opening up, there is no need to deflate it any longer”.

Auwalu affirmed that the DPR and NEITI share common vision of transparency and accountability in the nation’s energy sector. He asserted that his team will work with NEITI to close the existing gaps raised in the agency’s reports of the oil and gas sector. According to the DPR boss, “Most of the FDIs into Nigeria are in the oil and gas sector, so the sector is very profitable and competitive and the DPR is at the centre of driving the reforms in the sector.”

Auwalu pointed out that the strategic focus of his agency is to grow the nation’s crude oil reserves from its present 36.89 billion barrels to 40billion barrels and the gas reserves from its present 203 trillion cubic feet to 230trillion cubic feet. Other areas of focus are to increase the country’s production volumes which in turn will lead to more revenue for the country, reduce cost by barrel, monetise gas by reducing flaring and optimise gas utilisation as well as putting in place an integrated petroleum and gas distribution network among others.

The agency’s National Oil and Gas Excellence Centre (NOGEC), National Petroleum Resource Optimisation Initiative (NAPROI) and Competence and Development Centre (CDC) are some of the initiatives set up by the DPR to aid in crystalising its goal of promoting industry efficiency and operational excellence which the NEITI is demanding of all operators in the industry.

By Muyiwa Lucas

 

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has said 50 per cent of the Train 7 gas project would be executed locally. The project, valued at almost $12 billion, includes the net cost of the project, estimated $5billion and an identical expenditure to be incurred on the company’s operational base in Bonny.

Its Executive Secretary, Simbi Wabote, who said this while addressing plans by the Board for this year’s Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) assured, that Nigeria would record an impressive local participation in the Train 7 project.

“When we executed Train 1-6, there was minimal Nigerian participation. But today the Nigerian Content and out-country scope is split 50/50. Most of the cryogenic areas would be done outside the country because we do not have capacities in those areas. But 50 percent of the whole project activities would be done through Nigerian business and must be in-country.That is the value that would be retained in the Nigerian economy. We would achieve more in the upstream sector of the project because we have developed capacities in that area,” he said.

The NCDMB boss indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest test and confirmation of the need to develop local capacities in the oil and gas and other key sectors of the economy. He said the pandemic forced nations to depend on their local productions to survive, expressing delight that local capacities developed in the oil and gas industry proved capable of sustaining crude oil productions.

He added that First E&P Company, an indigenous operating firm, completed its project and started producing oil during the pandemic because of local content.

“NCDMB insisted that they must build platform in-country. They thanked us later for that decision because their platform was completed even during the pandemic and deployed to work. If the project were being executed overseas, it would have been suspended during the period,” Wabote said.

He, however, clarified that local content implementation was not at all cost. He maintained that every project has its economics and the return on investments must be viable, which was why the Board adopts pragmatism in its implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010 (NOGICD Act). He added that building local capacities takes some time and that Nigeria Content was not about Nigerianisation of personnel, rather it focuses on domestication and domiciliation of industry activities.

According to Wabote, the virtual NOGOF 2021, with the theme “Leveraging opportunities & synergies for post-pandemic recovery of the Nigerian oil & gas industry,” would be held in Lagos, in compliance with the Federal Government’s guidelines on curtailing the COVID-19 pandamic as well as the subsisting travel restrictions in some countries. He is optimistic that it will offer opportunity for participants to join from anywhere in the world without incurring logistics costs, thereby recording increased participation.

He explained that the core objective of organising NOGOF is to showcase the opportunities that are likely to emerge from the short to medium term plans and activities of operators and project promoters operating in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry.

“We must as NCDMB continue to give hope to Nigerians and the industry and show them that even when you have a pandemic like this, there are still opportunities for people to look forward to and invest,” he said.

He added that the showcase of upcoming projects by operating companies gives Nigerian service firms ample opportunity to build relevant capacities that might be required to execute the projects in-country, thereby creating employment opportunities and retaining spend in-country.

He stated that the “hosting NOGOF is line with the key thrusts of the NOGICD Act, which charged the NCDMB to build and support the development of local capacities and capabilities in the oil and gas industry, to foster institutional collaboration, maximising participation of Nigerians in oil and gas activities, linking oil and gas sector to other sectors of the economy, maximising utilisation of resources, among others.”

He said the theme acknowledges the industry wide disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and it encourages constructive discussions on recovery and the way forward, especially within the context of energy transition.

He said the fair would feature technical and opportunity sessions from various stakeholders, virtual networking opportunities, an awards in recognition of distinguished industry players and a virtual exhibition opportunity for registered organisations to present their activities and products to delegates.

He recalled that the maiden edition of NOGOF in 2017 in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital had over 1,200 delegates and 33 exhibitors, while the 2019 edition in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital had over 1500 delegates and 52 exhibitors and more delegates would likely partake in this edition.

On the impact of NOGOF on the industry over the years, Wabote said some of the projects unveiled in the previous editions were  underway like the Nigeria LNG Train 7, while  others were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and would soon be executed.

By Muyiwa Lucas

 

Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari has said the ongoing transformation of Africa’s largest thermal plant, Egbin Power Plc is indicative of the quality of expertise and huge investment injected into the plant since its take-over by Sahara Group.

“It’s an immense privilege to be here and see the progress at Africa’s biggest thermal plant. Not surprised by the obvious quality of operational activities and the value addition since take-over by the Sahara group,” Kyari said during a courtesy visit to Egbin Power.

“NNPC will continue to be the major stakeholder for this venture and assures Egbin Power of Sustained and eventually elevated gas supply to the facility. We will support this venture maximally,” he added.

Sahara Group is Africa’s largest private power business with operations in the generation and distribution value chain of the sector.

Temitope Shonubi Executive Director, Sahara Group, who received the NNPC GMD and his entourage, said Sahara treasures the privilege to serve and bring energy to life through the power sector. “Running the iconic Egbin Power and achieving the milestones we have recorded since 2013 has emboldened Sahara to spearhead innovative solutions that would further make power generation and distribution seamless, efficient and sustainable. We commend the NNPC for its unwavering support and we are particularly delighted with the transformation the GMD has brought to the corporation,” he said.

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He said plans to increase the 1320MW installed capacity at Egbin Power were ongoing, a process that would involve renewable solutions in line with Sahara’s commitment to the sustainability of the environment and its resources for the benefit of future generations.

Shonubi, who is also Chairman of Egbin Power, joined Kyari to plant a tree and led him on a ride in an electric buggy round the plant. Tree planting as well as the use of electric buggies and bicycles have become ingrained in Egbin in keeping with efforts geared towards reducing carbon emission and promoting healthy living.

Sahara Group’s power division is coordinated by the Sahara Power Group and the entities include Egbin Power Plc, Ikeja Electric (one of the largest private distribution companies in sub-Saharan Africa) and First Independent Power Limited (FIPL).

Sahara Power Group is working towards increasing its generation capacity to over 2,000MW in Nigeria, while also seeking opportunities to invest across Africa to achieve its vision of “lighting up Africa”.

 

By Muyiwa Lucas

 

Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States’ Agency for International Development (USAID) to make Bonny Island, its operational base, malaria free as it mentioned staking $100,000 on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The MoU was signed by NLNG’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer,Tony Attah,  and the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, the gas giant said in a statement by Eyono Fatayi-Williams.

Through the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), USAID will provide technical assistance to NLNG-led Bonny Island Malaria Elimination Project (BNYMEP), which seeks to reduce the malaria burden, move the community to pre-elimination status, bring malaria-related mortality to zero and make Bonny Island the country’s first malaria-free zone.

The PMI is focused on reducing malaria-related mortality by 50 percent across 24 high-burden developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria and three Southeast Asian countries, through a rapid scale-up of four proven and highly effective malaria prevention and treatment measures.

The MoU also includes a partnership between NLNG and the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) regarding support to the HIV/AIDS Surge Project, which focusses on the control of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) on Bonny Island. The HIV/AIDS Surge Project is currently coordinated by Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) in Rivers State.

In his remarks at the signing, Attah stated that NLNG commenced the BNYMEP in January 2019 as part of its vision to transform Bonny Island into a tourism and economic hub in the West African region.

He further stated that a malaria-free zone was key to attracting investments to the Island, which will positively impact the socio-economic well-being of its residents.

“We are ready to put Bonny Island on the map as one the first malaria-free community in Nigeria and a reference point in the global eradication of the disease. Malaria has impacted negatively on health care in Nigeria, and it is time to change the narrative. It is time to free ourselves of the economic burden that this scourge has imposed on us for years, freeing available resources to tackle other issues and to attain more Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs). We hope to set a precedent with a workable model for private sector participation in SDGs’ achievement. These goals align with our vision of helping to build a better Nigeria,” Attah said.

“Reducing the burden of malaria and HIV/AIDS on Bonny Island are goals within our reach,” Leonard said.

She added: “This partnership moves us closer to achieving those goals. I commend the efforts of NLNG to meet its social responsibility in helping the economic climate of Bonny Island by improving the health of its residents.”

Malaria has remained one of the deadliest diseases globally, and Nigeria still records a high number of casualties.

 

 

On Roll Back Malaria Campaign, NLNG supported efforts of both the Federal and Rivers State governments to roll back malaria in all its host communities in the state through improved sanitation habits and use of mosquito/insecticide treated bed nets.

NLNG is owned by four shareholders, namely, the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (49 per cent), Shell Gas B.V.  (25.6 per cent), Total Gaz Electricite Holdings France (15 per cent), and Eni International N.A. N. V. S.àr. l (10.4 per cent).