Lagos — The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, says it is catalysing the local manufacturing of 1.2 million composite Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG, cylinders per annum in Bayelsa and Lagos states.
Disclosing this in Bayelsa at a review meeting by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources with the Permanent Secretary, directors and chief executives of agencies in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, NCDMB’s Executive Secretary, Engr. Simbi Wabote, said the Board was supporting the goal of the Federal Government to build partnerships on gas flare commercialisation programme and LPG penetration.
Wabote was quoted in a statement by the NCDMB as saying: “The board is also supporting flare-out projects through Duport Midstream Company’s 300 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) gas gathering hub in Edo and NEDO 110MMscfd gas processing project in Delta State.
“The Board is also supporting the establishment of LPG storage/filling plants in five states and as well as LPG distribution depots in six states.”
On the Ministry’s target to increase crude oil production to three million barrels per day, the Executive Secretary confirmed that NCDMB signed Service Level Agreements, SLA, with the Oil Producers Trade Section, Independent Petroleum Producers Group, IPPG, and Nigeria LNG as a strategy of fast-tracking projects approvals and ease of doing business.
He added that the NCDMB, in 2020, launched the $50 million Nigerian Content Research and Development Fund and Oloibiri Museum and Research Centre in support of enhanced oil recovery.
On the goal of Supporting and Enhancing Cost Reduction, Wabote said: “NCDMB automated its business process and upgraded its NOGICJQS and initiated collaborative interfaces with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Customs and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).
“Towards increasing domestic refining capacity, NCDMB has so far enabled a combined capacity of 80,000 barrels per day (bpd) modular refining capacity through its investments in Waltermith in Imo, Azikel Refinery in Bayelsa and Duport in Edo States, with other proposals under review.
“NCDMB is also working to achieve the Ministry’s target on job creation and poverty alleviation. On that plane, the board is currently developing three oil and gas parks for manufacturing of oil and gas components, with each expected to create 2,000 jobs opportunities at full operation”.
He added that the board also increased the size of the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, NCI Fund, from US$200m to US$350m, with additional products on Working Capital and Business Support for Women in Oil & Gas.
“Other initiatives included the Board’s Human Capacity Development programmes to increase employability and incubate entrepreneurs, interventions in vocational education, ICT laboratory, among others,” Wabote added.
