Shell companies in Nigeria have awarded contracts worth $1.98 billion to businesses in 2023 in an effort to develop Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry.
The companies also had 2022 performance of $1.92 billion, according to a statement yesterday by Media Relations Manager, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Gladys Afam-Anadu.
She said: “Shell companies in Nigeria are participating at the forum with a strong message of support for Nigerian companies, having awarded contracts worth $1.98 billion to the businesses in 2023 in continuing effort to develop Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry.
“The contracts, awarded by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), and Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) present a three percent increase from the 2022 performance of $1.92 billion.”
She further said Shell companies in Nigeria were among more than 700 oil and gas entities taking part in the 13th edition of the Practical Nigerian Content forum in Yenagoa, where they restated their commitment to the development of Nigerian companies through contract awards and scaling up of expertise.
She stated that the four-day conference with the theme “Deepening the Next Frontier for Nigerian Content Implementation” will see the hosts, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and participating companies review progress on the development of Nigerian content pertaining to the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Development (NOGICD) Act since it was enacted in 2010.
Business Opportunity Manager for SNEPCo’s Bonga SouthWest Aparo Project, Olaposi Fadahunsi, representing SNEPCo Managing Director, Ron Adams, told participants at the opening of the forum that several benefitting companies had taken advantage of the patronage to expand their operations and improve their expertise and financial strength.
He commended the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for ensuring compliance with the Nigerian Content Act. Fadahunsi said: “Shell companies execute a large proportion of their activities through contracts with third parties, and Nigeriaregistered companies have been key beneficiaries of this policy aimed at powering Nigeria’s progress.”
Afam-Anadu said: “In addition to contract awards, Shell companies have implemented projects under the Human Capital Development Fund, including the Niger Delta University learning centre and digital library project and the Federal University of Technology Information Technology Hub.
Both projects were inaugurated this year, in collaboration with SPDC Joint Venture partners – Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), TotalEnergies and Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC).
“Other projects include the University of Lagos Geosciences Centre of Excellence, Nigeria Diving School and funding of ongoing research at the University of Ibadan to develop a syntheticbased drilling fluid.”
