The Energy Republic July Edition 2022

NIGERIA OIL & GAS
NCDMB To Adopt New Benchmark for
Th e N i g e r i a n C o n t e n t
Development and Monitoring
Board (NCDMB) has announced
plans to set a minimum percentage of
females that must be included in any
human capacity development (HCD)
programme or initiative that it will
approve for the Nigerian Oil and Gas
Industry.
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr.
Simbi Kesiye Wabote, stated this on
Tuesday at the 2nd Nigerian Women in
Oil and Gas Conference. He said the
Board would work on the policy and
communicate same to the industry as
soon as possible.
The conference was organised by the
NCDMB in partnership with the Diversity
Sectorial Working Group of the Nigerian
Content Consultative Forum (NCCF),
which was set up by the NCDMB to advise
it on policy directions.
Speaking on the $40m Women in Energy
Fund which the NCDMB set up in
partnership with the Nigerian Export-
Import Bank (NEXIM Bank), the Executive
Secretary indicated that 15 applications
have been received and three have been
approved and the disbursement of funds
would soon start. He added that the
online portal for the fund was launched
two weeks ago, and this would speed up
the process and reduce human interface
in the application and processing.
He commended the performance of
women in various roles in the oil and gas
industry and canvassed for their
Women in Oil and Gas
inclusion in the administration of the various
Trusts and Funds that were established by the
Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, notably the
Host Community Development Trust, Host
Community Development Trust Fund and
Environmental Remediation Fund.
Speaking further, the NCDMB boss confirmed
that the Oil and Gas Industrial Parks in Bayelsa
State and Cross River state are getting ready for
completion and will commence operations next
year. He noted that the Board had started
inviting applicants for allocation of plots to set
up manufacturing outfits in the park and
encouraged women-owned businesses with
workable proposals to apply as they will be
given special consideration as part of the
Board’s commitment to mainstream women
into the oil and gas industry.
Providing an update on the administration of
the Women in Energy Fund, the Managing
Director of NEXIM Bank, Mr. Abba Bello
explained that applicants would need to meet
set criteria before they can access the fund. “It is
a loan and not a grant and applicants have to
meet the conditions, so we can achieve the
intended purpose,” he said.
Represented by the Head Specialised Products
at the Bank, Mr. Mohammed Aumiz, the NEXIM
Bank boss explained that it takes only 22 days for
an application to be processed and an offer
letter issued if the company met the criteria.
Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of State for
Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva
commended the NCDMB for inaugurating the
Diversity Sectorial Working Group under the
NCCF as provided in Section 58 of the Nigerian O
Oil and Gas Industry Content Development
(NOGICD) Act. He noted that women make
up 48 percent of the global labour force,
but they only account for 22 percent of the
labour force in the oil and gas sector.
Quoting a recent study by Global Energy
Talent Index, the Minister said women
occupy about 50 percent of non-technical
positions at entry-level compared to only
15 percent of technical and field role
positions, hinting that gender diversity and
inclusion decreases with seniority, with
only a tiny proportion of women in
executive positions. “The percentage of
women in the industry drops from 36
percent to 24 percent between the middle
and executive level,” he noted.
He confirmed that the Nigerian
government has been deliberate in
introducing gender-friendly policies aimed
at increasing access to funding, award of
contracts and support for research and
development in the interest of women
operators in the Nigerian oil and gas
industry.
The Minister harped on the need to be
deliberate in getting more girls into Science
Technology Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM), which is a pathway to careers in
the oil and gas industry.
He also advised women in the Nigerian Oil
and Gas industry to work together towards
increasing participation of fellow women in
the industry by engendering growth,
building capacities and capabilities,
identifying opportunities, mentoring and
coaching.
In her goodwill message, the Chairperson
NNPC Board, Senator Margery Chuba-
Okadigbo challenged NCDMB to institute a
development programme like the Project
100 for oil and gas firms owned by women.
She said the implementation of the
Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) provides a
good opportunity to mainstream more
women in oil and gas activities. She also
recommended formal mentorship and role
modelling for younger women coming up
in the oil and gas industry.
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