Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) has called for urgent legal reforms and increased funding to help local oil and gas companies achieve global standards.
PETAN Chairman, Peter Ogunsanya, during a panel discussion on ‘Nigerian Content Beyond Borders’ at the 13th Practical Nigerian Content Forum, PNC 2024, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, emphasized the need for Nigerian companies to meet global quality standards, noting that high-quality products and services would attract both investors and customers.
Ogunsanya highlighted the critical role of PETAN’s collaboration with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, and international certifying body Bureau Veritas in ensuring that local companies are qualified to meet global standards.
The panel discussion examined the major barriers hindering cross-border value chains – regulations, documentation, logistics and supply chain, cost etc, including how can they be mitigated.
“To compete globally, our companies must surpass expectations. If we provide first-class services and products, both customers and investors will come. We must set up standards that are in line with global quality and ensure our people are qualified through international certifying bodies like Bureau Veritas.”
Ogunsanya stressed that PETAN, working with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), is already helping local companies meet these standards.
“We interact with over 100 companies daily, and we are putting processes in place to strengthen these relationships and ensure our members have access to the support they need from NCDMB,” he added.
PETAN, according to Ogunsanya which contributes at least $20 million annually to the NCDMB fund, sought further financial backing to help local businesses grow.
“The fund is set up to support local content, and there is no organization more trustworthy than PETAN in ensuring that these funds are used wisely. If NCDMB can allocate $15 million each year to PETAN, we guarantee that the funds will come back to you with interest.”
Ogunsanya also took aim at government inaction, urging the private sector to take the lead in shaping industry policy.
“We must stop waiting for the government to do everything. We need to tell the government what to do, just as we did with the NCDMB law. Infrastructure is not just about roads and electricity—it’s about building the legal and business infrastructure that will enable our sector to thrive.”
He called for more industry involvement in lawmaking. “If we want real change, we need to draft the laws ourselves, push for them, and make sure they work for us. Legislation must be used as a tool to drive business and development.”
