Shell companies in Nigeria on Wednesday restated commitment to the development of Nigerian companies through contract awards and capacity building.
More than 700 oil and gas companies are participating in the ongoing 13th Practical Nigerian Content forum in Yenagoa.
The four-day conference has the theme “Deepening the Next Frontier for Nigerian Content Implementation” kicked off on Tuesday.
A statement by Mr Gladys Afam-Anadu, Shell’s Media Relations Manager 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 Explorationand Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), and Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) present a three percent increase from the 2022 performance of $1.92 billion,” the energy firm stated.
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Business Opportunity Manager for SNEPCo’s Bonga South-West Aparo Project Olaposi Fadahunsi, is representing SNEPCo Managing Director, Ron Adams at the event.
He said that several benefitting companies had taken advantage of 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 said.
He commended the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for ensuring compliance with the Nigerian Content Act.
According to him, in addition to contract awards, Shell companies have implemented projects under the Human Capital Development Fund.
They iinclude the Niger Delta University learning centre and digital library project and the Federal University of Technology Information Technology Hub.
He recalled that both projects were inaugurated in 2024, in collaboration with SPDC Joint Venture partners – Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), TotalEnergies and Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC).
Fadahunsi added: “As we speak, beneficiaries of the 13th edition of the Niger Delta Post Graduate Scholarship awards are pursuing their studies in the United Kingdom.
“The employability rate of the scheme is high with over 98% of the graduates who won the awards securing employment in the oil and gas industry.
“They also get employed in academia and Information Technology, among other sectors, within one year of completing their studies. Nigerian content will continue to be an important part of Shell operations.”