NAPENews Magazine June 2023 Edition

ADVICE TO NEW NAPE CONFERENCE ATTENDEES
The Nigerian Association of Petroleum
Explorationists (NAPE) is the largest
association of Petroleum geologists and
related disciplines in Nigeria and Africa. Her
members include geologists, geophysicists,
petrophysicists, technical directors, CEOs,
managers, consultants, students and
academicians. NAPE's Annual International
Conference and Exhibition (AICE) is held in
November every year and it brings together a
significant number of her 12,000+ members to
discuss contemporary happenings in the
industry. At the event,companies have the
platform to showcase their products and
services, share knowledge and get updated on
best in class workflows and approach to explore
and recover more hydrocarbons from the
subsurface.
A cross- section of professionals in the industry
and academia were contacted and their views
on the topic "Advice to new NAPE conference
attendees" were sampled and here are their
responses :
What have you benefited from attending
NAPE conferences? Also, as an industry
professional, what advice do you have for
new conference attendees on what to get out
of the conference?
Mr. Johnbosco Uche, Growth Project Leader
and Energy Transition Business Opportunity
Manager for Energy Transition at Shell. He is
also a Fellow of NAPE and former Vice
President of the Association.
The conference has been a good platform for
me to stay in tune with emerging technical
workflows and new trends in the industry. The
high quality paper presentations have
enhanced my idea of finding oil and gas. The
NAPE conference provides a solid platform for
professional networking with our diverse
members and other attendees. I have also used
the conference opportunity to transfer my
gained industry experience to the upcoming
young professionals. The opportunity to
connect with my alumni is also part of the
benefits, and many more.
Look at the conference program and plan the
technical sessions and social activities you want
to attend. Ensure you have your notebook
during the technical sessions and take notes for
future reference. As much as possible, stay
away from office work and focus on the
conference. Also exchange contacts with new
professional colleagues and follow up later if
possible.
Joy Gabriel, a Geophysicist with SLB
Networking: I've met some of the best
professional people at NAPE conferences. My
mentors, future colleagues and professional .
Knowledge: Listening to papers presented
gives me insight to updates within the industry,
and I learn a lot from the presentations.
Please attend the technical sessions, they are
vital to continuous learning. Also, stay glued to
the YP events because there are a lot of
beneficial activities held during the conference
like the YPLF, networking events, mock
interviews, etc. Do not shy away from the
company booths either; listen to technical
presentations at the booth(s) as they sometimes
offer basic lectures at company booths.
Dr. Chidozie Izuchukwu Princeton DIM
(Coordinator of NAPE Awka/Owerri Chapter),
who is currently a Lecturer in Petroleum
Geosciences at the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka.
It has given me the opportunity to share my
research findings as technical papers during the
conference. The networking opportunities
provided by the conference are unparalleled, as
one has the ability to meet with other
colleagues, researchers, young professionals,
industry practitioners, and company managers,
opening one up to a wealth of knowledge
sharing and opportunities. Participating in the
NAPE Basin Evaluation Competition through
raising teams has given me the opportunity to
mentor many young fellows while also learning
about various producing basins around the
world, as the competition, which is a key event at
the conference exposes one to basin analysis
and prospectivity studies of world-class basins.
In addition, the University Assistance Program
(UAP) engagements that take place during the
conference allow academia and industry
practitioners to interact, creating an enabling
environment for discussion.
B e o p e n - m i n d e d a n d i n t e r a c t w i t h
professionals. Try and showcase your research
work and ingenuity through technical
p r e s e n t a t i o n a n d e x h i b i t i o n . Y o u n g
Professionals should network and source for
mentors both in the industry and the academia,
this will help them grow their careers. Participate
in quiz and company demo interviews which the
conference offers. Visit various companies'
exhibition booths and learn of new technologies
and services offered by companies. Students
should try and participate in the Basin
Evaluation Competition BEC, it will expose them
to teamwork and employment opportunities.
Oladotun Afolabi Oluwajana, Senior Lecturer
in the Department of Earth Sciences, Adekunle
Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Nigeria.
My participation at the NAPE Annual
International Conferences offered me an
invaluable opportunity to stay up-to-date with
the trends in the geoscience field and, over the
years, grow my career and geologic knowledge
base.
I listen to speakers and presenters during NAPE
technical programmes, find time to exchange
information, formulate ideas, watch some stateof-the-art
displays at exhibition booths,
participate in volunteering activities, and
network with peers and experts in industries and
academia during NAPE conferences.
My advice for new conference attendees,
especially students, is that their participation at
the NAPE Annual International Conference
would avail them of the opportunity to
collaborate, learn, and network with peers and
experts, and they should make the best use of
this opportunity. They will also benefit from
career tips, coaching, social networking, and
profile development-a key benefits they must
pay attention to.
Mr. George Obi, Production Geologist at Seplat
Energy PLC
In all my years of attending the annual NAPE
conferences, I have greatly benefited from the
knowledge-sharing sessions and paper
presentations at the conferences. Also, as a
p r o f e s s i o n a l , n e t w o r k i n g c a n n o t b e
overemphasized. The conference is a boiling
point for industry professionals, industryassociated
vendors, and other young
professionals to exchange ideas, experiences,
and possible solutions to subsurface problems,
uncertainty management and ideas of how to
recover more hydrocarbons from the
subsurface..
My advice to new conference attendees is to
engage as much as possible in knowledgesharing
sessions at company booths, technical
paper presentations, healthy networking with
young professionals and senior professionals of
the G & G discipline.
Also, It would be good for new conference
attendees to reflect and make proper plans on
what to benefit from the forthcoming conference
through the use of the conference program by
effectively selecting, noting and prioritizing the
programs that will be in their best career
interest.
Amara Grace Udebunu
NAPENEWS JUNE 2023 11