Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, has provided insights into its Expatriate Quota (EQ) Management System and guiding principles as underpinned by provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development, NOGICD, Act 2010.
At its yearly stakeholder engagement on the subject tagged “2023 EQ Sensitization Workshop,” held in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Warri, the Board stated that the contents and implementation strategy of the EQ Management System is in line with its mandate to develop indigenous capacity for efficient delivery of services in the oil and gas industry.
The Director of Planning Research and Statistics of the NCDMB, Alhaji Abdulmalik Halilu, told the industry chiefs at the event that the overarching objective of leveraging global expertise, honing indigenous skills as well as attracting and protecting investor interest governs the implementation of the System.
In other words, the development of indigenous capacity is prioritised but without discounting the intrinsic benefits of global expertise or imperatives of efficiency of service delivery and ability to attract and protect foreign investments in the sector.
He explained that the yearly sensitisation workshop is firmly rooted in NCDMB’s commitment to carry stakeholders along as it diligently pursues the implementation of the Board’s 10-year Strategic plan targeting 70% Nigerian Content by 2027.
Appropriate modules illuminating the subject matter were employed at the event.
In the first module, which centred on Awareness, Halilu said the objective was to deepen awareness of provisions of NCDMB EQ guideline covering EQ application procedure and requirements, TWP [Temporary Work Permit] and biometrics data capture.
In Module 2, which focused on Automated Business Processes, he said: “The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC-JQS) portal has been established as the industry’s repository for assessing available capacities and capabilities and consists of multifaced functional modules that allow stakeholders to interface with NCDMB through cyberspace.”
“To date, business process automation has been achieved for NCEC [Nigerian Content Equipment Certificate] EQ, Marine Vessel as part of our commitment to promote transparency, efficiency, and ease of doing business,” He stated.
Speaking on Data-driven Collaboration In Module 3, Halilu said: “NOGIC-JQS data sets would be showcased to reinforce the importance of maintaining up-to-date profile accounts by operating companies and service providers” and that data sets included “equipment certificate categories, marine vessels, business registration, individual registration, etc.”
Complaints Management was the subject of interest in Module 4. According to Halilu, whistleblower modules exist for logging complaints, while help desk and other CRM [customer relationship management] functionalities exist for enquiries.
He emphasised that non-compliance with any provision of the NOGICD Act attracts consequences, as the board has a well-coordinated internal mechanism to withhold approvals such as EQ application on account of non-compliance with the Nigerian Content Development Fund, NCDF, remittance and other Nigerian Content regulations.
Halilu assured the industry chiefs that, going forward, the NCDMB would leverage the NOGIC-JQS to deepen collaboration with stakeholders through the deployment of an Application Programming Interface, API, for data exchange and information sharing on EQ approvals, marine vessel, rig records among MDAs.
He said a related intervention is that the Go-live of e-marketplace with the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, as pilot, will further expand the frontiers of business opportunities and deepen transparency in the procurement of goods and services in the industry.
In his concluding remarks, Halilu expressed the Board’s appreciation for the continuous support and willingness of oil and gas industry stakeholders to comply with provisions of the NOGICD Act, which largely account for NCDMB’s sustained leading position as the number one MDA in Nigeria for 2 consecutive evaluation periods.
He thanked all participants for honouring the invitation, stating that the Board’s expectation was that the enlightenment, interaction and networking afforded by the workshop would position all stakeholders to contribute to the growth trajectory of Nigerian Content towards 70% by 2027.
