By John Ikani
As part of efforts geared towards championing the development of local content on the African continent, the Nigerian Local Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Local Content Monitoring Agency, Senegal to deepen local content in Senegal’s oil and gas sector.
The MoU which was signed on Tuesday in Lagos during the 7th Sub-Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC), comes ahead of Senegal’s preparations for its first oil and gas before the end of the year.
Simbi Wabote, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, explained that the partnership between Senegal and Nigeria was not just to deepen local content in Senegal but also a business-to-business partnership that focuses on capacity building in Senegal.
Representing Senegal, Deputy Permanent Secretary of COS Petrogaz, Republic of Senegal, Mamadou Fall Kane, spoke about the partnership between Nigeria and Senegal, stating that Senegal has a lot to learn from Nigeria which has achieved 54% of its 70% local content target by 2027.
The MoU signing marks the culmination of a year-long effort by Kane to forge a partnership with the NCDMB.
He noted that Senegal would benefit greatly from Nigeria’s expertise in deepening its local content target, which would significantly contribute to the development of Senegal’s natural resources.
During the event, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, stressed the need for collaboration among African countries in more hydrocarbon discoveries in the continent.
Kyari emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge and forming partnerships to build a sustainable future, particularly as more African countries continue to make hydrocarbon discoveries.
He called for a collaborative effort in critical areas such as exploration and production, technology, research and development, technical expertise, and human capacity development to spread the wealth within the continent.
