By John Ikani
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and foremost gas firm, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG) Limited are strengthening self-appraisal mechanisms instituted to advance objectives of local content compliance and development.
At a one-day meeting of the NCDMB/NLNG Technical Working Group held at the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT), corporate headquarters of the NCDMB, on Tuesday, key personnel of the two organisations led by Engr. Paul Zuhumben, General Manager, Project Certification and Authorisation Division (PCAD), NCDMB, and Mr. Andy Odeh, General Manager, External Relations, NLNG, expressed satisfaction with the grounds covered in the implementation of action plans.
Deliberations centred around measures to secure approval of in-house operational blueprint, Energy Transition, Advanced Training, Executive Summary Report on NLNG Train-7, and update on capacity building. It was noted that “most activities are ongoing.”
Related subjects dealt with at the meeting include the Development of NCDMB’s Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System E-Marketplace Module, NLNG AssetHuman Capacity Development Implementation, NLNG Train-7 HCD and R&D Execution Update, Monitoring of LNG Contracts below US$1 million, NLNG-NCDMB Service Level Agreements Performance Review, Factors Affecting Commercial Evaluation Delays, Energy Transition Workshop, and Expatriate Quota.
The TWG emphasised the critical importance of stakeholder surveys and committed to ensuring prompt attention to matters raised for consideration. A Stakeholders Retreat was agreed upon to facilitate knowledge-sharing interactions. Scheduled to be held within the last quarter of 2023 on Bonny Island, the Retreat would include community and plant tour, sessions on Nigerian Content practices, and a golf competition.
The Technical Working Group, conceived by the Managements of both companies to facilitate “in-person discussion and resolution of strategic, tactical and operational issues,” aims to “cut out bureaucracy and improve efficiency of decision-making, approvals, and Nigerian Content Development for NLNG.”
It acts as a first-level discussion and escalation group to review and unblock thorny issues or delays arising from Nigerian Content compliance on contracts and projects that have been unable to reach satisfactory resolution at the operational/officer level, among other things.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Group, Engr. Paul Zuhumben, commended NLNG for clinching the Nigerian Content Contribution Award and its invaluable contribution toward the E-marketplace initiative.
At the end of the Meeting, NLNG’s External Relations General Manager Andy Odeh declared that deliberations were very successful.
According to him, the Group meets “to look at issues that border around enabling the business where there are challenges, so that those issues don’t become crises that begin to distort the business we do in NLNG: It could be NLNG is not giving enough information as it should or it could be that NCDMB is not moving as fast as they should, either with approvals or proposals that we have.”
Explaining further, he said, “We see ourselves as one because we are looking at a common goal, and the TWG Meeting helps us to be proactive in managing the things we manage either as a company, NLNG, or as an operator.”
The next meeting of the TWG is scheduled tentatively for February 2024 in Port Harcourt.
