03 May 2017, Sweetcrude, Houston, Texas — Oil and gas industry leaders from parts of America, Europe, Asia and Africa will gather in Houston, Texas, United States, today for the 3rd edition of the annual Nigeria Content Investment Forum, the biggest Nigerian oil and gas sector event in the United States.
Organised by SweetcrudeReports, the foremost energy publication, in conjunction with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board and The Guardian, this third edition of the event has as focus, “Enhancing OEM/SME collaboration to grow Nigerian Content”. It will be chaired by Mr. Sola Oyinlola, President, Africa, at Schlumberger.
Last year’s event, the second edition, attracted over 250 participants from across the world.
Mr. Hector Igbikiowubo, Editor-in-chief, SweetcrudeReports, said the NCIF has the objective of creating a platform for interface between oil and gas Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, operating in Nigeria/West Africa and original equipment manufacturers, OEMs, in the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Mr. Igbikiowubo said: “NCIF was established to offer a platform for Nigerian oil and gas entrepreneurs looking for foreign partners to meet international companies looking for opportunities in Africa,” adding: “It is a platform for high-level meeting of Nigerian oil and gas businesses and their international counterparts, where the potentials of Nigerian SMEs would be on showcase with the OEMs hoping to exploit those potentials; by so doing, consummating lasting fruitful partnerships”.
He noted that the event has through the first and second editions in 2015 and 2016 consummated a good number of fruitful relationships between Nigerian businesses and their foreign counterparts. “We are looking forward to building more of such relationships and cementing the already existing ones at this year’s event,” he said.
Speakers at the gathering, which will involve technical and panel sessions, include City of Houston Councilwoman, Amanda Edwards; Engr. Simbi Wabote, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB; Brent Omdahl, Head of Commercial Section, US Embassy in Nigeria; Mr. Bank-Anthony Okoroafor, Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, PETAN; and the Group Managing Director, Aiteo, Chike Onyejekwe.
Also to speak are P.O. Maseli, Head, Upstream Monitoring and Regulations at the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR; Balarabe Hassan, Head of South-South Regional Zone, Bank of Industry; Gerry Paez of ExWorks Capital, Ubani Nkaginieme, CEO, TotalSupport Group; and Adesola Kazeem Adeduntan, MD/CEO, First Bank of Nigeria Plc.
Delegates for the conference are expected from Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Asia.