NCDMB Targets 70% Practical Nigeria Content …Reels out Achievements, 10-Year Plan
-By Kenny Folarin
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has targeted 70% Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) in the oil and gas sector, latest 2027.
Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, while speaking in Yenagoa during the just concluded 9th Practical Nigerian Content, noted that the Board’s 10-year strategic plan is hinged on five pillars and enablers supported by strategic initiatives, meant to propel oil and gas industry towards 70% practical content by 2027.
Wabote, while reeling out achievements of the Board in the last two years, said the NCDMB had secured approval for partnership in the establishment of 400,000 LPG cylinder manufacturing plant in Bayelsa State and a 116,000 metric tonnes per annum loading and off-loading LPG terminals in Delta State.
Similarly, he said the Board also got approval for a 48,000 litres per day facility in Port Harcourt, Rivers State for the production of base oil from used engine oil. “With these partnerships we aim to revive capital flight currently associated with base products. The estimated turnover of these partnerships is about 360 million dollars per annum.”
He added that the Board procured additional ICT laboratory equipment for various schools and trained various teachers on vocational skills and medical training.
Wabote also stated that by next year, the Board will roll out supplier development programmes, using industrial parks as platform including synergy with National Chemical Emergency Centre (NCEC) applicants, to engage 40 additional marine cadets for sea time training, upgrade two additional vocational institutions and set up five additional ICT laboratories in secondary schools.
NCDMB, he revealed, will train additional 1,000 teachers in stem education and commission the 5,000 per day modular refinery initiative, “By our plan, the refinery will start production in July 2020.”
Speaking on compliance and enforcement, Wabote said NCDMB has engaged the services of third party monitors to expand the coverage of compliance and monitoring efforts to additional 30 operators in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors.
In addition, he said, NCDMB has harmonized its vessel categorization standard to that of NIMASA and NIWA. “We have also been able to simplify our statutory report template and deployed them to industrial use.”
The Board will also extend collaboration with sister agencies and other MDAs to enhance the enduring partnerships that support the patronage of local investors, the Executive Secretary noted further.
The Board also plans to implement modalities to extend Nigeria content intervention fund to major stakeholders in the industry, work with the office of the Minister of State for Petroleum on regulations and more intervention programmes to support women participating in the oil and gas sector.
“Our 10-year plan has been in operation for two years, which also marks the plan duration for the completion of 25 short term initiatives, in the last two years. We also have moved from 26% of Nigeria content to 30% attainment having successfully completed implementation of 20 initiatives.
“We will be extending the duration of five initiatives at the plan of the roadmap project management office; a strategy review evaluation will be done in the next eight year plan of the roadmap to put in place necessary measures to ensure that 70% Nigeria content by 2027 is achieved.”
