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Chika Amanze-Nwachuku
ChevronNigeria Limited, Operator of the NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture, has added significant value to the development of capacity among local community contractors and Nigeria companies in support of the Nigerian content law- through the Escravos-Gas-to-Liquids project (EGTL).
CNL’s Chairman and Managing Director, Andrew Fawthrop, who stated this during a visit last week of the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board’s (NCDMB), Mr. Ernest Nwapa, with members of his team to the EGTL project site. This visit was aimed at assessing the Nigerian Content impact of the project.
Andrew explained that EGTL had made huge contributions to the economy of Delta State and helped in the revitalisation of the Warri Port, making it the second busiest port in the country at the peak period of the project.
“The project has utilised over 3,500 hundred suppliers and contractors from the local communities and has engaged more than 14,000 skilled and unskilled Nigerian workers, of which over 60 percent are from the local communities. When the project is fully operational, it will employ nearly 500 persons, mostly Nigerians,”General Manager, Policy, Government & Public Affairs, Deji Haastrup, quoted Fawthrop to have said.
Earlier, Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Ernest Nwapa, had explained that they came to carry out their oversight function. He added that the board was not only a regulator, but a partner in delivering value and advised local community contractors to re-invest the funds from EGTL contracts to their communities and to take their newly-acquired skills/competence to a higher level.
On his part, the Project Manager, Tomba Resources Nigeria Ltd., Malik Jubril, on behalf of the local community contractors, expressed gratitude to CNL for the project.
He said: “Thanks to the EGTL project and its engagement of local community contractors, my company now has a staff of over 60 and 350 contract staff on its pay roll.”
EGTL had awarded sub-contracts worth over $2 billion to local community contractors and also sent 234 Nigerians on a 30-month training program in South Africa at the Synthetic Fuel Facilities of Sasol.
EGTL has trained more than 7,000 Nigerians in technical skill crafts, plant operation and maintenance, business and project management, logistics and supply chain management, gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and shield metal arc welding (SMAW) processes.
EGTL has entered into several plant construction equipment lease agreements with community contractors resulting to their ownership of over 500 sophisticated plant construction equipment, among other local content achievements.