Nicholas Odinuwe, PETAN Chairman delivering his welcome address at the 6th SAIPEC
-By Felix Douglas
The Sub-Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC), Africa’s largest gathering of oil, gas and energy professionals, hosted by Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), begins its 6th edition today in Lagos.
Chairman of PETAN, Mr. Nicolas Odinuwe, in his opening address, welcomed delegates from over 25 countries of the Sub-Sahara Africa who converged in Lagos for the epoch event.
Odinuwe made it known that the international energy conference is being hosted by PETAN, an association of leading Nigerian indigenous technical oilfield service companies across the energy value chain with active support from the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to promote and enhance local content. PETAN is the largest and leading advocacy group representing Nigerian Oil and Gas service companies with membership across the entire value chain of the oil sector which have been delivering quality services to the industry for the past three decades. Odinuwe stated that the conference will show case emphasis on the future of the energy sector through collaboration, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Adding that through robust topical discussions, debates and interactions, stakeholders and key players at the conference will have ample opportunities to share ideas and critical insights into the region’s hydrocarbon and transition-energies businesses.
He stressed further that PETAN will continue to appeal to all governments, policy makers, legislators, captains of industries and all industry stakeholders to inculcate submissions and deliberations of SAIPEC conference into their plans, programmes and policies for a better operating environment that will have the desired positive effect on the respective economies of African nations.
The PETAN Chairman bemoaned the challenges the oil industry passed through during Covid-19 pandemic which changed the global economy and caused down turn.
Ultimately, Odinuwe admitted that the wave of the pandemic came with innovations driven by digitization of global economy. Some local companies even did exploit with inventions.
The PETAN Chairman disclosed that “stabilized and stabilizing markets have all encouraged innovation in several industries despite supply chains disruptions”, he stated that “Private-market investors are uniquely positioned to benefit from the innovation super cycle that is being driven by digitization of the global economy, a decade-long transformation accelerated by the pandemic.
Odinuwe stated thus: “The value chain in the oil, gas and energy industry is such that if properly harnessed, will transform the economy of the entire continent. The challenge has been an enabling environment to create a private sector-led industry. Government across Africa, especially the Oil and gas producing sub-Saharan countries, should provide necessary incentives to attract private-sector investments across the entire value chain. This will trigger a massive economic revolution, human capital development and deepen local content across Africa.”
Stressing on the theme for this year’s SAIPEC event titled: “Fostering Collaboration to create cross-border partnerships across the oil, gas and energy spectrum”, Odinuwe opined that it is very apt in the sense that “exhibitors, sponsors, and delegates, especially those who are joining us for the first time – we believe after now – will make this a permanent feature of your annual calendars. Our desire is to build this conference to be enviable & innovative with as much regional spread across Sub-Sahara Africa”.
Dignitaries and delegates who attended SAIPEC event includes:
NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Simbi Wabote, pioneer Executive Secretary, Ernest Nwapa, former Managing Director of NLNG, Tony Attah and Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producer’s Organization (APPO), Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim.
Others includes, representatives of the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva and among others.
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