The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, has revealed that a substantial increase from 53 to 114 in the number of local operators between 2018 and 2023.
According to The Times, he stated during the ongoing Practical Nigerian Content Forum in Bayelsa state that the number of local operators surged from 53 in 2018 to 114 in 2023.
He also revealed that indigenous service companies increased from 8,000 to 11,000, while individual registrations rose significantly from 140,000 to nearly 400,000 over the same period.
Notably, the in-country fabrication capacity rose from 60,000 tons per year to 250,000 tons, marking a significant achievement under the Roadmap’s Technical Capability Development pillar.
urthermore, progress on eight industrial parks designed to bolster manufacturing and assembly of industry-related equipment and materials was discussed.
The Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme at Emeyal-1 in Bayelsa State, along with a similar park in Odukpani, Cross River State, are slated for commissioning in the first half of 2024.
The increased capacity for domestic fabrication falls under the Roadmap’s Technical Capability Development pillar. In that time, it went from producing 60,000 tonnes annually to 250,000 tonnes.
The NCDMB also provided an update on the status of eight industrial parks that are intended to facilitate the production and assembly of supplies and machinery for the sector during the forum.
Among these, the first half of 2024 is expected to see the commissioning of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme at Emeyal-1 in Bayelsa State and a similar Park in Odukpani in Cross River State.
The organization has finished 83 percent of the 96 initiatives that were outlined in the Nigerian Content 10-year Strategic Roadmap. The percentage of Nigerian content in 2023 was 54%, unchanged from 2022.
In the meantime, by 2027, Nigerian content in the oil and gas sector was to reach 70%, according to the Strategic Roadmap, which was introduced in late 2017. It is based on four enablers and five pillars that direct focus areas and provide support for short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives.
“Just as we outperformed the 42% Nigerian Content target set for 2022 by achieving 54% Nigerian Content, this performance is well above the minimum target of 47% Nigerian Content set for 2023 by the Board’s Project Management Office,” Wabote stated.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited reached an agreement with the International Oil Companies in September 2023.
The parties executed a Memorandum of Understanding with the objective of expediting the contract awarding process, with a target of 180 working days.
The main advantages outlined in this agreement are cutting down the time it takes to finalize different types of contracts. The objective is to shorten the duration to 180, 178, and 128 working days for open competitive tenders, selective tenders, and single-sourcing tenders, respectively.
The best effort performance currently taking longer in these categories is 327, 333, and 185 working days, respectively. The intention is to drastically reduce these timelines in order to make a more efficient process.
