The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry through research.
NCDMB declared in a statement that it organised a 3-day Research and Development Zonal Workshop for oil industry players and academia held recently at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State.
It noted that the workshop focused on needs-driven research and how to deepen collaboration and linkages between the oil and gas industry and academia.
In his keynote address, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, represented by General Manager, Planning, Research and Statistics, NCDMB, Mr Silas Ajimijaye, said, “The board is empowered by Sections 36-39 and 70 (m) of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, to coordinate and superintend over research and development towards developing Nigerian Content in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.”
He noted that NCDMB had developed a research and development roadmap, which had helped to identify critical gaps hampering the research climate in the oil and gas sector.
Ogbe added that the lack of research infrastructure, funding, and weak commercial frameworks had been identified as some of the key challenges and efforts were being made to close those gaps.
He stated that NCDMB had made giant strides in implementing the research and development roadmap.
He said, “The establishment of Research Centres of Excellence in the six geopolitical zones of the country and the establishment of the R&D Fund to stimulate research in the oil and gas sector were some of the measures recommended to remedy the identified gaps.”
The NCDMB boss explained that the Nigerian Content Research and Development Fund was launched in 2021 with an initial seed capital of $50m.
According to Ogbe, five per cent of the fund is segmented to support basic; 10 per cent is dedicated to applied research while five per cent is dedicated to endowments.
He added that research centres of excellence get 20 per cent of the fund, while, 60 per cent of the fund was committed to the commercialisation of research breakthroughs.
He pointed out that the board’s six research centres of excellence were hosted by tertiary institutions in different geopolitical zones.
In her welcome remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Prof. Nnenna Oti, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. C.M Agu, lauded the NCDMB for being at the forefront of fostering research and innovation geared at increasing local content in the oil and gas industry.
According to the don, NCDMB has provided the needed bridge between academia and industry through research and development round table meetings, R & D Fairs and the establishment of centres of excellence in universities, including FUTO.
Agu encouraged participants to utilise the opportunity to sharpen their skills in proposal writing and explore all opportunities for collaboration and linkages both with the available industries and fellow researchers.
On her part, the Managing Director of Wider Perspectives Limited, Mrs Edughom Hanson, said the workshop was geared towards stimulating linkages and collaboration between academia and industry players within the R&D space.
According to Hanson, interactions among oil and gas industry players, academics, and government are vital to strengthening the country’s national development.
