Shell has reiterated its commitment to the growth of Nigerian companies through contract awards and increased expertise.
According to The Nation, the vow was made during the 13th edition of the Practical Nigerian Content forum in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where Shell Nigeria is one of over 700 oil and gas entities participating.
The “Deepening the Next Frontier for Nigerian Content Implementation” conference, hosted by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), will review progress on developing Nigerian content for the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Development (NOGICD) Act, which was enacted in 2010.
Shell enterprises in Nigeria are attending the meeting with a strong message of support for Nigerian entrepreneurs, having granted contracts worth $1.98 billion to them in 2023 as part of their ongoing efforts to develop Nigerian content in the oil and gas sector.
The contracts won by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), and Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) represent a 3% increase from the $1.92 billion performance in 2022.
Olaposi Fadahunsi, Business Opportunity Manager for SNEPCo’s Bonga South-West Aparo Project, representing SNEPCo Managing Director Ron Adams, told forum attendees that several benefiting companies had used the patronage to expand their operations and improve their expertise and financial strength.
“Shell companies execute a large proportion of their activities through contracts with third parties, and Nigeria-registered companies have been key beneficiaries of this policy aimed at powering Nigeria’s progress,” Fadahunsi pointed out. He praised the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for upholding the Nigerian Content Act.
In addition to contract awards, Shell has executed Human Capital Development Fund projects like the Niger Delta University learning centre and digital library project and the Federal University of Technology Information Technology Hub. Both projects were launched this year in partnership with SPDC Joint Venture partners Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), TotalEnergies, and Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC).
Other initiatives include the University of Lagos Geosciences Centre of Excellence, the Nigeria Diving School, and financing for ongoing research at the University of Ibadan to create a synthetic-based drilling fluid.
Shell Companies in Nigeria have also continued to promote the local workforce through scholarship schemes, with over 3,772 undergraduate and 109 Niger Delta postgraduate scholarships awarded since 2016.
Fadahunsi stated that “as we speak, recipients of the 13th edition of the Niger Delta Post Graduate Scholarship awards are pursuing their studies in the United Kingdom.”
The system has a high employability record, with more than 98% of graduates who received awards finding work in the oil and gas industry, academia, and information technology, among other areas, within a year of finishing their studies. Nigerian content will continue to be a key part of Shell’s activities.
