TotalEnergies has a world class training facility of petroleum studies that started operating many years ago in collaboration with France which has produced competent professionals for the industry.
The Manager, Nigerian Content Operations, Monitoring and Compliance, ToTalEnergies, Achase Amadi, made this known at the 7th Sub Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, SAIPEC, held in Lagos.
TotalEnergies according to him has also embarked on such measure to train people as an opportunity for growth and development in the industry.
“It is adding a great value which other African countries can tap into and make use of the opportunity”, he said.
He advised other stakeholders to key into the facility instead of injecting funds and duplicating such initiative in the country or Africa. There has to be collaboration among stakeholders.
Speaking on Local Content, he said, “If I speak from an IOC perspective for TotalEnergies, even before there was an Act of Parliament and comes up with local content. TotalEnergies has been doing quite a lot with indigenous Nigeria suppliers. I remember way back in 2002, 2003. We did fabricate some modules in Warri within these period”, he added.
“Since the implementation the NOGIC Act in 2010, for TotalEnergies, it is not a matter of complying with laws; it’s in the company’s DNA. It is a strategy for company. There’s great value in doing the right thing”, he maintained.
“From a business point, I don’t see the benefit in doing that in every other country in Africa. We have a facility that has been enabled, facilitated by TotalEnergies on the back of the Egina Project”, stated the Manager.
“It is a world facility that must be patronized. The workforce in Nigeria is at a high level of maturity in the oil and gas space. On the aspect of local content, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, and Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, PETAN, went to Uganda to help local suppliers which is commendable.
How does this relate with AFCTA? “TotalEnergies built on the basis of Nigerian local content which is about domiciliation, not nationalization. The company had developed facilities. This has cost the company some money to develop these facilities especially the recent success story of Egina which is the first in Africa that was integrated in Lagos”.
Speaking on African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, he said, it now behooves on the powers that be to see that we are able to cross by providing all the necessary policies and laws.
The Manager, called on governments of African countries are to create enabling environment to make AfCTA a success for the continent.
