The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Mele Kyari, has said that the collaboration between the corporation and other oil companies in Nigeria has helped in sustaining the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Kyari expressed the need for innovative partnership among organisations, government and industries so as to enhance the sustainable growth of the country.
The NNPC GMD, who made these remarks at the 16th induction ceremony of the Institute of Petroleum Studies, University of Port Harcourt, said the corporation had continued to work in collaboration with various international partners like Shell, Total, Chevron, Addax and Nigerian Agip Oil Company.
He explained that the concept of collaboration must be taken seriously by industries, universities and government if the country must make progress.
“We must work together; we must collaborate if we are going to progress. Let us, therefore, take the concept of collaboration seriously so that we can achieve our goals as a country. When you collaborate, new ideas and energy are created.
“It is worth noting that NNPC, as Nigeria’s leading national oil and gas company, has worked in collaboration with various international partners such as Shell, Exxon, Chevron, Total, Addax and many others since 1977.
“The collaboration over the years have seen progress in all oil and value chain especially in exploration and production, which has positively impacted on our hydrocarbon reserves and by extension assisted to sustain the GDP (almost 8.55%) for Nigeria,” Kyari, who was a guest speaker at the event, said.
Kyari, who was represented at the event by the NNPC Group General Manager, Research and Development, Mr. Ben Norhile, stated that without collaboration, businesses could go extinct like the dinosaur.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of Total E and P Nigeria, Mr. Mike Sangster, disclosed that over $30 million had been invested in the University of Port Harcourt by Total Exploration and Production, Nigeria, through projects and capacity building that helped young professionals to be ready for the oil and gas industries.
Sangster said, “So far, Total has invested over $30 million under its partnership with the University of Port Harcourt in the areas of capacity building, infrastructure, research and associated programmes.
Also, the Chairman, Governing Board of IPS, Mr. Abiodun Afolabi, said that the IPS had sponsored graduates in various fields since 2003, adding that the main goal of the institute was to meet the petroleum industry needs through training and applied research, among others.
According to Afolabi, “IPS is a vision that started 16 years ago when the NNPC, University of Port Harcourt, the French Petroleum Institute and Total agreed to establish an institute, offering specialised programmes in Petroleum Geosciences and Technology, Petroleum Economics and Management etc.
“Today’s event; the induction/anniversary ceremony of 20 MSc and 20 PGD graduates stands as a fitting tribute to the foresight of the initiators of this partnership with respect to the IPS.”
SOURCE: PUNCH
