The Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board(NCDMB) has designed key implementable initiatives to sustain Drive by the federal government to commercialise the country’s gas deposits and use if for industrialisation aside attracting extra revenue to the economy.
Executive secretary of the board, Simbi Wabote, equally challenged all parties involved in various project’s execution aimed at supporting the initiative to provide annual status reports of the successes, issues, support required, and target completion dates of the plan.
Speaking on ‘Building Local Content and Capacity for the Realisation of Nigeria’s Decade of Gas,’ at the just concluded sixth Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES), Wabote suggested that, the status reports would be prepared by agencies, entities and stakeholders that are responsible for the various projects and initiatives identified in the 10-year gas programme and presented at the NIES every year.
He challenged stakeholders not to get distracted or lose steam in the implementation of the programme even as a new administration was set to assume office on May 29, 2023.
While calling for the continuity of the Decade of Gas programme, he hinted that, “it is possible that the incoming government will give the programme a new name but we must not lose focus on the importance of gas to our energy needs and economic development.”
The ES also highlighted eight focus areas the board was utilising to drive the realisation of the Decade of Gas initiative of the federal government.
These, according to him, include Human Capacity Development, Construction of Industrial Parks, Public-Private Partnerships and Nigerian Content Intervention Funds, Research and Development, Regulatory Framework, Regional Collaboration, and Enabling Business Environment.
Dwelling on the capacity building programmes required to enhance the training and re-training of capable workforce for the industry, Wabote explained that NCDMB had “delivered close to 14 million manhours of training for acquisition of various skill sets required to explore, develop, operate, and maintain hydrocarbon facilities.”
He listed some of the board’s Human Capacity Development tools and programmes to include the Expatriate Quota Management System, STEM Education, Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET), Institutional Strengthening, ICT Centers, and Training Certifications.
He informed that, “the NCDMB Gas Hub at Polaku is fully dedicated to domiciliation of gas related enterprises such as Pressure Reduction and Metering Station, CNG mother stations, LPG cylinder manufacturing plant, Gas processing facilities, power plant, and other similar facilities.”
Commenting on the theme of the summit, Wabote said, the challenges of energy transition “has brought to the fore the need for every nation to leverage its own comparative cost advantage by developing the energy resources that it has in relative abundance.
“Most countries including Nigeria have a mix of these resources, and they must apply local content investments to realise a sustainable energy future.”
He described local content development as a philosophy that seeks to encourage the utilisation of local resources such as humans, goods, services, oil, gas, wind, hydro, or solar while at the same time promoting in-country domiciliation of value-adding activities.
