NCDMB, Dangote Refinery hold workshop on Nigerian Content

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals (DPRP) recently organized a one-day sensitization workshop on Nigerian Content Compliance.

The workshop was held in Lagos State and sought to enlighten Dangote Refinery Project contractors on the regulations, policies and laws that apply in the oil and gas industry as well as encourage compliance.

In his address, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Wabote, represented by the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Akintunde Adelana, explained that the workshop was intended to create awareness on the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, increase the participation of Nigerian companies and utilization of local goods and services in the execution of the refinery project.

Adelana regretted that the first 50 years of oil exploration and production in Nigeria, up until 2010 was characterized by almost every activity in the industry being executed overseas, resulting in huge capital flight, lack of jobs for Nigerians in the industry, non-existence of requisite in-country capacities and ultimately less than five percent in-country value retention.

He noted that the Board’s target under its Nigerian Content 10-year strategic roadmap is to achieve 70 percent in-country value retention by 2027, and to meet the target, there was need for greater indigenous participation and domiciliation of industry activities. He clarified that Nigerian Content is not geared to promote indigenization of industry activities but is rather focused on domestication and domiciliation of operations.

He expressed delight at the level of work going on at the refinery site, noting that the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of DPRP, Mr. Giuseppe Surace has tremendous knowledge of Nigerian Content practice, having worked previously with Saipem Nigeria.

In his remarks, Surace assured that the execution of the DPRP project would engage Nigerian vendors and create local capacities, in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Content Act.