By PR
The Lead of a high-powered delegation from the Hydrocarbons Ministry of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday disclosed that Nigeria is internationally recognised as a champion of local content, having performed phenomenally in devising and implementing a framework that has boosted the growth of indigenous companies as well as local participation in the oil and gas industry.
Mr. Franc Mouzabakani, Director General, Hydrocarbons, who spoke at the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT), Yenagoa, in an interactive session with journalists after a tour of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPS), Emeyal I, and the 10-megawatt NCDMB Gas Plant at Elebele, both in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, said NCDMB has done tremendous work and achieved much in 15 years of its existence.
He said his team was impressed with the concept and state of development of NOGaPS (built as a one-stop manufacturing hub for petroleum industry components) and that the Gas Plant was “basically an example of local content because it is operated by local companies and the gas supplied is by another local producer.”
“We are really within our thematic [focus]” he declared, stating that his visit to the NCDMB in Abuja and to the Board’s facilities in Bayelsa State, as well as tour of the NCT, corporate headquarters of the NCDMB, has been highly rewarding.
According to Mr. Mouzabakani, “We are very impressed; the visit is very impactful. We have the full picture connecting the presentations of Day 1 and Day 2 in Abuja to Day 3 in Bayelsa State. We are now touching the reality of local content development in Nigeria. We have a lot to take away.” “Congratulations to Nigeria,” he added. The engagements of the Congolese delegation with the NCDMB in Yenagoa marked the second leg of their visit to Nigeria, which began on Monday with a courtesy call of that country’s Minister of Hydrocarbons, His Excellency Simplice Stev Onanga, on Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, in Abuja, continues with visits to other locations in Port Harcourt and Lagos